One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back
by kitfoxpup
Summary: On her thirteenth birthday, Kitiara Kix finds out that she's eligible to attend Iris Academy's school for the Magically Gifted. With her health down at the failing end, she eagerly accepts the mysterious Choice, dreaming of a day where she will no longer be useless, and takes One Step Forward. T for Language, mostly. Humor, Romance, Angst, Drama, hurt/comfort; it has it all.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** All readers should know, at this point in time, that I am crap.

I start hundreds of stories all at once and attempt to finish them/write them, and most of the time, I am very lucky. I have one sitting on my mac that is finished, but I can't post it just yet because it's waiting for Strong Start to be finished. Which it isn't.

I am a horrible writer. I freely admit it. I never finish anything and I never edit anything.

Okay, that's a lie, I do edit things, but I mostly never edit. Like this? Purely unedited. I can promise you that it gets WAY good later though, even if I haven't edited that either- I just know it gets better. See, I used to be really amazing at beginnings and really crap at the rest of the story... Now it's swapped...

Anyway. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not have rights to this game. It was made by Hanako Games, and by posting the link to this story on Hanako's forum I hereby say "These are my ideas, but you can have em if you like!"

Also, is Hanako a girl? Eir avatar is (see what I did there? Eh? Eh?), but that doesn't always give answers and I'm too lazy to go check.

**One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back**

**Chapter 1**

"Aw man, Kix… You sure you have to go away?"

"Y-yes. I'm positive."

"But who's going to look out for you when we're not there?"

"I can take care of myself… Besides, I'll be back to visit during the normal holidays."

"Yeah, but… Kitty, why? Do you not want to go to school with us anymore?"

Kitiara Kix sighed, wrapping her arms around her mid section as she stared pensively into the pure blue, crystalline water of the pool. She stared at her reflection for a moment, disliking what she saw: a pale, frail girl with thin brown hair, milky brown doe-eyes, and a nearly flat chest that almost made it impossible for her to wear a bikini… Not that she thought she looked good in one, but she figured it didn't hurt her, either.

She looked away from the reflection, choosing instead to picture herself how she felt, inside. Strong, calm, and wise, powerful and smart, and ever beautiful… The Ktiaiara that had luscious, beautiful hair. She rarely looked into mirrors so that this image was stronger in her mind than the true image of herself.

Around her sat her childhood friends, her only friends, few as they were. Rachel, a beautiful red haired girl already filling out at the age of thirteen, she had never ever been cruel to Kitiara. She had long said that Kitiara kept her grounded and humble.

George was another of Kitiara's friends, and he was and had always been obsessed with Rachel. Kitiara had introduced them, and while George had yet to tell Rachel how he felt he had never forgotten that it was because of Kitiara's kindness and quiet charm that he had been inducted into the same space and group as the beautiful redhead.

Alex was Kitiara's closest friend. They had known each other from birth, having lived just a mile apart on neighboring farms, and their families had always been close. Alex had helped with chores, Kitiara had helped with chores- they were partners, though they were opposites. Even now, while Kitiara was wearing a two piece bathing suit, trying to pretend she could, Alex wore a one piece and swim shorts. She had short black hair, dark eyes, freckles, and tanned skin. She had a cocky, troublesome grin that spoke volumes of trouble, and she was healthy as a horse. She'd spent most of her life making sure that Kitiara wasn't going to hurt herself doing something, a task that Kitiara was deeply ashamed of and wished that her best friend wouldn't have to do.

"C'mon Kix," George said, shaking his head in slight disbelief. "You can't seriously be saying that you're planning on leaving us in three years. We're a quartet… A clan. A family!"

"Do you really want this?" Rachel said, leaning toward Kitiara.

The 13-year-old girl closed her eyes, trying to fight back the completely overwhelming surge of loneliness. She couldn't even explain why she wanted to go, why she had to go. She couldn't tell them how tired she was of being so frail, so small, so fragile and burdensome.

"Yes," Kitiara said, closing her eyes and looking down briefly.

"Why?" Alex demanded. She'd been quiet. "Why are you leaving us?"

"It's not for three more years, Ally," Kitiara said quietly. "I still have three years here before I go to the Academy."

"And you desert us."

"Alex!" Rachel hissed, moving to hit the dark-haired girl's shoulder. Alex didn't react; she stared, hard, at Kitiara.

"I'm not-"

"You're leaving," Alex said bitterly. "You're tired of us." She stood, removing herself from the pool and looking away from her friends. "You said we'd always be friends."

"M-my leaving doesn't mean we won't be friends!" Kitiara said, trying to stand with Alex. She stumbled slightly, and fell back down to the concrete, gasping in pain as she did so.

"Hey!" George shouted, but Alex was already beside Kitiara, silent and commanding as she helped the girl up. Kitiara's eyes closed, pain flaring through her as she trembled slightly, and everyone was silent as they watched her apprehensively.

Kitiara had always been weak. The slightest injury that another child could walk away from left her crying and paralyzed in pain. She got sick from scratches, and a fever was as good as cancer. She missed a lot of school, because of it, and yet she somehow kept up her grades. Because of how studious she was, her schools had always been lenient on her absences.

"I'm okay," Kitiara said, after another moment. Her friends all relaxed, and Alex pulled away, sitting on the ground in front of her.

"What are you going to do without me?" Alex demanded. "I'm going to be worried sick!"

"I need this," Kitiara said, looking at the ground as she squeezed her fists. "I need… I n-need to go and do this."

"Why?" Alex knew that there was something missing. "You aren't telling me something, Kitty. Why do you need this?"

This was it. Kitiara knew that this moment would forever drive a wedge between her and her friends, and she knew nothing would ever be able to return to normal. She would lie to them, and at least Alex would know that it was a lie, and while she wouldn't say anything… She would know. It would be obvious to her. And she would never forget. In essence, to receive this gift, Kitiara was giving up much more than her normal life. She was giving up her best friend, her partner... her sister.

"I'm… I need a change of pace," Kitiara said evasively. "Living here… I'm still so weak. I'm getting weaker. Going to the Academy, maybe I could learn h-how to help myself."

It wasn't entirely a lie. Iris Academy was definitely a fantastic school, built to teach things that no other high school would ever teach, things that Kitiara couldn't share with her friends… Or her family.

"I think that's a great idea," Rachel cut in, trying to cool the situation. "I know we'll miss you Kitty, but… This could be super beneficial for you!"

"I agree," George said, willing to agree with anything Rachel said.

Alex stared at Kitiara, who stared back, willing her best friend to understand. If she did, it didn't show on her face, and it was probably as Kitara had known.

"If you say so," Alex said, shrugging. She stood and walked back toward George's house. "I'm going to go home, guys. This news has bummed me out. See you."

"Alex-"

"Later." She waved a hand without looking behind her, grabbed her towel, and entered the house amid silent stares. They could her the distant front door slam shut.

There was a wall of silence as Alex left, and it continued well past that.

"She's taking it really hard," Rachel whispered.

"I know," Kitiara said. "I don't think she'll ever forgive me." She stood and smiled weakly at her friends. "I think I'll go home too. I'm… I'm pretty bummed as well."

Iris Academy. Kitiara let her mind drift to the daunting thoughts of going to a whole knew world as she waited for her mother to come pick her up. No one would have believed her had she told them.

Magic.

Kitiara closed her eyes, squeezing them as she hugged her sides again, remembering the words that the woman- the witch- had said on their doorstep.

"You have a very special daughter." Her hair had been orange with pink tips, and her eyes had been dancing. "Your daughter can do magic."

She was referring to an instance where Kitiara had been trying to catch a filly as it ran around the yard, and when she jumped a stone she'd flown ten feet into the air, landed in a tree, and had been completely unharmed, albeit confused. It had scared everyone silly and had taken over an hour to get her down without any success, and suddenly this strange woman was at their door.

"Allow me to help, dearies," she said, and to their extreme astonishment Kitiara had floated down from the tree completely unharmed.

"What-"

"As I was saying," she'd continued. "Your daughter is very, very special. In three years, she will be invited to Iris Academy, a place where she can learn to overcome her weaknesses."

"You mean-" It had been too much for Kitiara to hope for.

"Yes, rose bud," the woman- named Petunia Potsdam- had said. "You could cure your fragility, child. You are magical. The energy within you, if cultivated, could heal you and help you."

That had cinched the deal.

Kitiara wasn't a selfish girl. She knew she was hurting Alex… But she also knew how much Alex had given up to protect her friend. Alex had just as few friends as Kitiara did, and when Kitiara was absent due to her illnesses, Alex was often right there beside her, uncaring of her failing grades. Her own parents seemed just as supportive of their daughter as Kitiara's were, and while they detested Alex's falling grades, they claimed that Alex would only be taking over the farm, not becoming a lawyer. Still, Kitiara felt guilty for the years and years of tending that Alex had had to endure.

"Oh, wait till I tell Alex!" was the first thing Kitiara had said, joy and hope flaring through her.

"I'm afraid… You can't."

Stunned silence.

"Why not?" Kitiara had demanded.

"It is the Choice." Petunia Potsdam walked closer to them, her eyes deadly serious as she regarded them. "Normal people cannot know about our world."

"But we're normal," Kitiara's mother had insisted.

"And you may not know anything about her studies." Her words were like blows.

"But-"

"No normal human may know what you know," Petunia Potsdam had said. "No one. Your choice is simple. If you choose to come to Iris Academy in three years, you must not tell a soul about this decision or what it entails, not now, not then, not ever. Should you do so, you will lose all of your magic and you will be forever as you are now."

"No!" Kitiara's heart had ached with the thought of losing this one hope.

"Then your test… And your choice… Is as thus. For the next three years," Petunia Potsdam said in a commanding voice, "you will not tell a soul about your magic. When you turn 16, you will attend Iris Academy for four years…. And you will never speak of your magical life to any normal human forever after."

It had been difficult, but an incident where Kitiara had tripped and been sent to the hospital the following day had made up her mind for her.

Every week since, she had been receiving letters, visits, and pamphlets, paperwork, anything from Iris Academy. Nothing had come up from a search on the internet, but it was real. Her parents had driven past it one day, and they had marveled with it. All of them were careful not to mention that it was a magical school.

So now that Kitiara had let loose that in her third year of high school she would be leaving, all she had to do was wait, wait for the school that could change everything.

What she didn't know was that things were already changing for her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Nothing to note except that this chapter HAPPENS to be partially edited. That's a pretty good start for me.

**Disclaimer: **Magical Diary belongs to Hanako Games, who I'm beginning to think happens to be a SUPER awesome company.

**One Step Forward, Ten Steps** Back

_Chapter 2_

It started with her hair.

"Did you dye your hair?" Rachel asked one day, pulling a few of the long, wavy strands forward.

"No," Kitiara said, sounding confused. "I never dye my hair. Why?"

"It's darker," Racehl had said, but she shook her head. "No, I'm probably just imagining it. Although… It certainly feels softer. Maybe it's getting healthy?" She asked, smiling hopefully at Kitiara. The same painful hope as before had flared up in her chest, and she nodded eagerly.

"I hope so," she said.

A month later, it was her eyes. They seemed less tired, she was told. Less sorrowful, and more powerful.

Still, Kitiara refused to look in a mirror. She was afraid that she would still just be herself. Her still-constant weakness was evidence of that.

As the months passed, she seemed to flourish, slowly. She was still frail and fragile, but she was growing, changing physically, looking healthier. That in and of itself was enough to forever cement her decision.

The only problem was Alex.

The girl seemed to be pulling away from Kitiara, intentionally, and the frail girl was sure she knew why. Alex was trying to prove that Kitiara needed her… that she couldn't leave. She would only hurt herself, and without Alex there she would be lost.

Kitiara endeavored to prove otherwise. She was exceedingly careful in everything she did, hoping that when something finally did happen she would miraculously be fine. It didn't seem so, however, as a trip to the floor had nearly broken her hip. Her legs had always been the weakest part of her. Still, she didn't let that deter her hope.

And so it went. A game of cat and mouse, with Alex trying her hardest to convince her best friend not to leave by essentially ignoring her… And further widening the rift between them. Kitiara seemed to stand taller each year, to be more determined. She had grown no stronger- she even despaired that she could be weaker- but she didn't give up. Instead of clutzy, useless, and constantly getting in everyone's way, she became tall, graceful, and careful.

Even stranger was that Kitiara's clothes, at least to her, seemed to be shrinking. She needed new bras, new pants, and she had to often ask her parents if they were purposefully shrinking her clothes, to which they just smiled.

And then the day came.

The summer of their Junior year of high school, Kitiara Kix said goodbye to her friends one last time. Alex was not present.

"You be good, Kix," George had said, looking strangely forlorn as he stood beside Rachel. In those three years, Kitiara had been unable to convince him to ask the red-haired girl out.

"We'll tell Alex that you said goodbye," Rachel had said softly.

"Tell her she'll always be my sister," Kitiara said just as softly. "Tell her that I will always love her."

"Of course," Rachel had said, smiling a watery smile.

With a final wave, Kitiara climbed into her parents' truck with her meager belongings, her hair pulled back from the heat, and she watched the world slide past as she headed for Iris Academy, where she would learn magic. And, hopefully, cure her ever-present weaknesses and make her useful to the people she loved.

Kitiara stood outside the big red truck that she had always known, looking in at her parents. She already felt different; she was dressed in the school's mandatory uniform, a black gown with a green cape denoting her dorm. Her belt depicted the house mascot, which was a rearing horse. According to the brochures, all of which sat in Kitiara's suitcases, being in house Horse meant that you were daring, brave, and adventurous. Kitiara had snorted at that. She could hardly sit on a horse without cracking her tailbone.

"Good bye, Kitten," Mrs. Kix, Kitiara's mother, called from the car.

"You be good Kitty," her father said.

She watched them both, blinking back lonely tears. She wouldn't want them to worry any more than they were surely already worrying.

"Of course," she said, smiling a watery smile.

And they were gone, just like that.

Taking a deep breath and tightening her hands on her suitcases, Kitiara turned to face the looming structure of Iris Academy, though "looming" may not have been the proper word. It was incredibly beautiful, with a high brick wall that spread from the entrance and looked as if it surrounded the whole of the school property. Beyond the brick wall, Kitiara could see a very prominent-looking set of buildings with towering steeples, gabled rooftops, and gorgeous greenery. It was all incredibly lovely, and Kitiara's nerves rose ever so slightly. It looked so… Professional.

She walked through the front entrance, watching a few of the other students as the milled about and chatted with each other. Even with them all standing about, she was surprised that there seemed to be so few. Professor Potsdam had explained that there were only two professors in the whole of the school, but Kitiara hadn't really been sure if she'd believed it or not.

As she gaped at her surroundings, she suddenly realized that she had no idea where to go. Her school map was lodged somewhere in one of her suitcases… Or maybe her backpack… But she had no idea where. Kitiara was looking hard at the cases, mentally going through every pocket and not paying attention to anyone at all, when she suddenly collided with something.

"Oh!" She gasped, and instinct took over. She dropped everything, hoping to catch herself as she fell. Before she could hit the ground (and probably maim herself on the first day of school with her incredibly sensitive bones), something caught her, a soothing feeling that felt like a breeze fluttering around her. Kitiara looked up to see a man standing in front of her, his left hand glowing. It was apparently his spell that had caught her, and was now righting her on the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" Kitiara said as soon as the magic let go of her. She noticed that there was a book on the ground that she herself had most certainly not been carrying, and realized that it must have belonged to the man before her. Hastily, Kitiara picked it up, carefully dusting it off and handing it to the man, who she could see was not wearing a house color nor sporting a dorm mascot, which meant- of course- that he was a professor.

Great.

"You appear to be a new student," the man said, staring at her coldly. His voice was deep, rich, and had a refined and rippling British accent. Long dark curls framed a pale face, and his eyes were a deep brown that was almost red. He accepted the book, which he quickly examined before turning back to face Kitiara. "What is your name?"

"Kitiara Kix," she said nervously, not daring to remove her eyes from his in case that was considered rude. "I-I'm a new student here, and I'm not entirely sure… Where to… Go…" She let her voice drift off as he looked away from her, now flipping through the very book she had just handed him. Having apparently found what he was looking for, he suddenly sneered and looked up at her in distaste.

"Ah, Miss Kix." His voice was filled with scorn. "A wildseed. You've been given so much, coming to this school, and you'll soon throw all of it away. I do hope that you pay better attention to your studies than you do your surroundings, Miss Kix, or I'll be cleaning up your remains within the week." He snapped the book shut after having apparently made some sort of change to it. "Ten Demerits!" Kitiara flinched as he shouted the last bit at her, whirled around, and stalked angrily away.

Well. That was an impression.

"That has to be a record," Kitiara said miserably, carefully fishing the map out of her bags before continuing on as before. And what had he meant when he'd called her a Wildseed? Was that some sort of insult?

Horse Hall wasn't entirely difficult to find, once she had the map in her hands. It was situated at the end of three long halls, the other two of which were the Butterfly Hall- which Kitiara figured was meant for girly girls who had both beauty and charm, which explained why she wasn't there- and the Snake Hall, which Kitiara had no idea what it took to get in there. It sounded fairly dark and vile, and she was sure that she'd much rather be a horse.

The male opposites to these halls was located directly across the field. The male equivalent of the Horse Hall was the Wolf Hall, and for the Butterfly Hall the male equivalent was the Falcon Hall. The Snake Hall equivalent was the Toad Hall, something that Kitiara privately felt sounded far worst than the snake hall. Who would want to introduce themselves as a TOAD?

The halls were surprisingly ordinary. Tiled floors, white walls, and plain doors lined the Horse Hallway. It branched off in three other directions, which Kitiara assumed was for the sophomore hall, junior hall, and the senior hall. It was a four-year school, and apparently functioned the same way school in England did. Two years to study followed by two years to find your place in the real world, which was sort of like college. In that, the school had earned itself a reputation in the real world as a school worth accepting students from. If they had no idea why, they found that they didn't question it, and moved on with their lives.

The door that Kitiara stopped outside of was as normal and plain as all the others. It would apparently be the room she would stay in for the rest of her Iris Academy career, should she continue to uphold the Choice she had made three years ago. The door was slightly ajar, and Kitiara could see someone moving around inside it through the crack.

This was it. Kitiara knew she was assigned two roommates with her, but she knew nothing about them. She'd never had roommates, and the only girl she'd ever spent more than a day around was Alex, when they'd had sleepovers. That in itself was more like a sisterhood than a dorm room.

Taking a deep breath and silently praying that her disastrous experience earlier was no sign of the day's direction, Kitiara nudged the door open and pushed her way through.

The room was normal. No crystal balls, no strange candles, no weird wall paper or strangely titled books. The walls were the same white as the hall, and the beds were three different colors: red, white, and yellow. The red and yellow had already been claimed, and the girl Kitiara had seen before was now moving around the yellow bed. She looked up when she heard Kitiara enter.

"Hi," she said nervously.

She was slightly plump, and had wide, brown eyes and blonde hair that reminded Kitiara of the hay back home. She clasped her hands together nervously, and smiled shyly at Kitiara.

"Hi," Kitiara said, and remembered that she was going to try to become a new person. She bravely walked forward and stuck out her hand, wracking her brain for something to say. Her eyes lighted on the girl's belt.

"You're a horse!" She blurted out, and the girl's eyes widened in shock. Kitiara winced at her own foot-in-mouth statement. "I- That came out weird. I- My name is Kitiara," she said, gesturing at Ellen's belt. "I hadn't seen any other horses yet."

"Oh," the girl said, and she smiled widely, taking Kitiara's hand and shaking it warmly. "My name is Ellen. Where are you from?" She added curiously. Kitiara belatedly realized that she must have had an accent, compared to Ellen.

"I'm from New Hampshire," Kitiara said, shrugging shyly. "It's not that far from here."

"I would have said Boston," Ellen said, smiling slightly. "It sounds very similar."

"Where are you from?" Kitiara asked, setting her suitcases beside her bed. She noticed that while Ellen's bed- the yellow bed- seemed incredibly neat, the red bed was already ruffled and had a few things strewn all over it.

"I'm from Virginia," Ellen said, sitting down neatly and elegantly on her bed,

"I don't hear that kind of accent," Kitiara said in surprise.

"My family isn't from… There," Ellen said awkwardly, and Kitiara sensed a touchy subject. She let it pass.

"Have you met our other roommate yet?" She asked, and Ellen smiled gratefully.

"Yes," she said. "Her name is Virginia."

"Did I hear someone call my name?" A second voice said, and a girl flounced in through the door. Her attitude and facial expression reminded me instantly of Alex, and I felt a wave of loneliness pass over.

"Hi," Ellen said in greeting. "This is our other roommate." She gestured toward Kitiara, who nervously tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear.

"Kitiara," she said, shaking Virginia's hand.

"Virgina," the girl said, and Kitiara heard a very distinct Massachusetts accent.

"You're from Massachusetts," Kitiara guessed, and Virgina laughed.

"Yup!" She said. "Let me guess… Maine?" She said, and Kitiara smiled, shaking her head.

"New Hampshire," she said, and Virginia groaned.

"So close!" She lamented.

Virgina had a head full of thick, curly dreads that seemed to go from deep red velvet to bright, fiery red at the tips. She had whimsical red eyes that glittered with mischief, and her skin was a chocolaty color.

"I have a question," Kitiara suddenly asked, and Virginia and Ellen both perked up. "What's a wildseed?" she asked, feeling self-conscious.

"Oh, that," Virginia said, plopping down onto her bed. "Wildseeds are people who were born to normal, human families without a single drop of magic in their veins. They're the students here who are new to magic, and have never seen any of this before."

"I'm a wildseed," Ellen said, smiling softly at Kitiara.

"I guess I am too," Kitiara said, and she sat down on her bed with a sigh. "I met someone about twenty minutes ago, and he called me a wildseed. He seemed really angry and insulted… Like I was a wildseed just to make him angry!"

"Curly black hair?" Virginia asked. "British accent?" She asked, when Kitiara nodded. The brunette nodded again, and Virginia whistled, shaking her head piteously. "Wow. You had a run-in with Grabby on day one!"

"Grabby?" Ellen asked in alarm. "He grabs girls?"

"No," Virgina said, laughing at the expressions on both Ellen's and Kitiara's faces. "That's just his name. Professor Grabiner. Everyone's afraid of him, and he hates everyone, so it's not just you."

"Well, thank goodness for that," Kitiara said, still feeling down. "I thought maybe I'd set a new record for getting ten demerits within the first five minutes of having attended Iris Academy."

"Actually, that might still be a record," Virgina said, and Ellen giggled at Kitiara's crestfalled expression. "You sure know how to start school by pissing off the angriest teacher here!" the red-haired girl laughed.

"Oh man," Kitiara groaned.

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Ellen said, casting the laughing girl on the red bed a disapproving look.

"Nah, you're fine," Virginia said, waving a dismissive hand. "I should let you unpack. Ellen, you want to meet my brothers?" She said, directing the question at the blonde haired girl.

"What if Kitiara wants to come?" Ellen asked, and Kitiara smiled in silent thanks for being included.

"Dang girl," Virginia said, shaking her head. "Your name is hard."

"Is not," Kitiara said, frowning.

"Is so. What's you last name?" She asked, and with dread Kitiara knew where that path was going.

"Kitiara's not that long of a name," the brunette girl tried to say. Virginia just raised an eyebrow, still expecting an answer, and Kitiara rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "My last name is Kix, but-"

"That's awesome!" Virgina said. "All right, Kix, I have a question." She ignored Kitiara's groans. "You play any sports? Ellen plays some softball, maybe some volleyball."

"I was… Kind of good at track." It wasn't a lie. When she wasn't falling, Kitiara had been faster than any of the other kids.

"I play Basketball," Virginia said excitedly. "If you want, you can come with me and Ellen to meet my brothers, though one of them I could do without." She rolled her eyes, and Kitiara jumped up in excitement to join them.

"Virginia wants to start a sports club," Ellen said, and Kitiara realized that Ellen was a very quiet girl.

"Hell yeah!" Virginia said, pumping a fist into the air as they walked. "I love sports. With my spirit, Ellen's arms and your legs, we're ubeatable!"

"Right," Kitiara snorted, and they left the girl's dorms. Kitiara and Ellen made no attempt to hide their interest and awe at all of the other students around them, some of them practicing spells.

"This is amazing," Ellen whispered to Kitiara, who nodded fervently.

Wolf Hall was filled with boys running around, horsing around, and just generally being rambunctious.

"Virginia!" The three girls turned to see a boy with blue hair walking toward her. He grinned at her.

"Hey, Luke," Virginia said, looking uninterested. "I'm looking for my brother, Wil-"

A sudden splash of water completely drenched and covered Virginia, from head to toe. Ellen and Kitiara, shrieking, jumped back, eyes wide in shock at the sudden drenching of their friend. A boy who looked alarmingly similar to Virginia- he could only be one of her brothers- suddenly appeared, laughing uproariously. He high five'd the blue haired boy, who was laughing with him.

"DONALD!" Virginia roared, whipping her hair and splattering everyone with water.

"You're a little washed up there, Urchin," the boy named Donald laughed, and before Virginia could hit him, he and Luke made a hasty retreat.

"Uh," Ellen said, standing behind Kitiara and watching Virginia worriedly. "Are you all right, Virginia?"

"THAT," Virginia hissed, her arms held out comically as water dripped down her fingers, "was my brother, Donald. He is SUCH a loser!"

"V?"

They turned to see a boy who had the same face as Virginia, but who sported a shockingly bright blue head of hair. His eyes were wide with surprise.

"William," Virginia said, sounding much less annoyed.

"Why are you all wet?" He said, coming forward to look more closely at her.

"Donald," Virginia snarled, waving her arms and splattering water all over the boy named William, Kitiara, and Ellen.

"Well, here," William said, and he spread his palms. A gust of warm air suddenly blew out and surrounded Virginia, and within minutes she was as dry as she had been before.

"Oooooo," Kitiara said appreciatively. Ellen nodded vigorously.

"Guys," Virginia said, a proud look on her face, "this is my GOOD brother, William."

The blue haired boy turned and smiled a bright, glistening smile at the two wildseed girls before him. Kitiara did not miss the blush spreading across Ellen's features.

"H-hi," Ellen said, smiling shyly.

"So you're V's roommates," he said, still smiling kindly at them.

"In the flesh," Kitiara smiled.

"You're going to have to promise to look after her," he said, ignoring Virginia's indignant grunt. "She can be a handful herself, if she really tries hard enough."

"Cut it out," Virginia grumbled, but she seemed completely unbothered. In fact, she almost shone under the attention of her older brother.

"It was very good to meet you girls, but I'm sure you still have some unpacking to do," William said, patting his sister's head fondly. "Virginia might have gotten mom to unpack for her, but I'm sure you two don't get such a luxury."

"William!" Virginia squealed, slapping his back, and the older boy chuckled as he turned away, waving to them.

"He was very nice," Kitiara said, smiling.

"He's very mature and kind," Virginia gushed. "He's my cool brother. Unlike Donald."

"He calls you V," Ellen said, smiling. "Is that your nickname?"

"Nah, it's just what he calls me," Virginia said, waving a hand. "Much better than what Donald calls me."

"I was wondering about that," Kitiara giggled. She'd wondered why Donald had called his sister "Urchin".

"Whatever," Virginia said flippantly. "William was right, though. We should get you two back so you can unpack. We're going to have a long day tomorrow when we choose our classes."

Kitiara followed as Virginia led them back to their dorm, and she couldn't help but smile in eager anticipation of the year, and the secrets it had for her to learn. She was determined to no longer be useless, and God help anyone who got in her way… And didn't manage to trip her in the process.

Still… It was a relief to see the beginning of what seemed like a good friendship between Virginia, Ellen, and Kitiara.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n:** Not much to say here. Prepare for feels in this story!

Thanks to Gabi-Hime for reviewing! Means a lot- and I can promise that I shall abuse Grabiner almost indefinitely. Or at least I plan to, my inner Kitiara (more commonly known as my Inner Roxas) may decide otherwise. That happens a lot.

I'm finding it SO hard to keep up with what I'm doing in this story. I realized early on that I was going to need like, a calendar or something, so I have a second document on my flashdrive literally labeled "Kitiara's Calendar". I think it's hilarious.

Also, I intend to do at least 2 years.

**Disclaimer:** Magical Diary belongs to Hanako Games! She's brilliant. Really. Truly and really.

CHAPTER 3

Kitiara woke up early and managed to drag first Ellen out of bed, and then Virginia through a series of tugging, minor threats, and finally getting her up with the empty threat that if Virginia didn't hurry, breakfast would be gone. It appeared that her appetite was matched only by her respect for her older brother. Virginia was dressed faster than a rocket, and she shot out the dorm door, calling behind her that both Ellen and Kitara were "slow pokes". Neither girl knew how to react to Virginia's speed and energy, and instead left the room, following in the girl's hazardous path a little more slowly.

After a delicious meal held in the school's cafeteria, the students all filed out to their expected areas. Freshman, having no idea what to do next, were to meet up with Professor Potsdam in the Gymnasium by 9 am, and Virginia was the last to get to the gym… Making Ellen and Kitiara the second and third to last.

"Welcome to Iris Academy!" a voice rang out moments after they'd walked in, and the three girls took up position at the back of the small crowd gathered in the gym. The plump woman that Kitiara had met over the summer was standing in front of a podium, now wearing a witch's had and cape in addition to her flowing pink, floral garb and clattering beaded jewelry. Her eyes glittered with excitement as she regarded the students below her, before continuing. "I would like to congratulate you all in your acceptance at Iris Academy's school of Magic!"

Kitiara started clapping, and to her horror she realized that she was the only one. Virginia instantly raised her hands, clapping loudly, and Ellen jumped in, sending ripples through the crowd, until at last, everyone was clapping. Kitiara let out a sigh of relief and smiled thankfully at Virginia, who winked.

After a moment of loud clapping and some hooting, Professor Potsdam raised her hands, signaling for some quiet, which quickly fell.

"You are all here to learn magic," she repeated, "which is a beautiful and dangerous art. You will forge friendships and have relationships, and you will find the true meaning of what it means to be you! I pray that you begin to find the answers to your questions-" here, Kitiara felt like Potsdam was speaking to her- "as you begin the new year. Now, open your magical diaries and choose the classes for the week!"

The students immediately began to drift into pairs, pulling out a notebook from their equipment and books. Ellen and Kitiara immediately panicked.

"Diaries?" Ellen squeaked. "What is she talking about?"

"The Magical Diary," Virginia explained, pulling hers out from a stack of notebooks she was carrying. It was red and glittery, which she wrinkled her nose at. "I knew it'd be red… Anyway, every student gets one," she said.

"I don't remember getting one," Kitara said, panicking as she moved her notebooks in her arms.

"You did," Virginia said, watching in amusement as Ellen did the same. "They're MAGICAL. You can always find them on you if you want to. Look, see?"

Kitiara had just come across a book she was POSITIVE that she had not brought with her. It was glittering white and green at first, and then a myriad of colors slid across the surface of the diary, including a flash of black.

"Huh," Virginia said, leaning over to examine it. "How weird."

"What do the colors mean?" Kitiara asked nervously. She looked over to see that Ellen's diary was a shimmery blue color.

"It sort of reflects who you are," Virginia explained as she flipped open her book. "There are five magical classes that are taught here: red, blue, green, black, and white."

"Black magic?" Ellen gasped in alarm.

"Nah, you're thinking of movie black magic," Virginia giggled. "Things aren't so black and white here, if you'll pardon the term. I'd explain them to you, but you should really learn from the classes yourself. I'd suggest taking each one at least once."

"So… If your diary is red, does that mean-"

"Yup," Virginia said in response to Ellen's unfinished question. "I'm probably best suited for red magic."

"So… Ellen's is blue, and mine…" We all three looked at my diary, which was steadily shifting through the colors.

"I've never really seen one like that," Virginia said, but she shrugged. "Still, I'm no expert on magic. Open it and you'll see a schedule that you can use to pick your classes."

"How does this work with only two teachers in the whole school?" Kitiara said, wrinkling her nose as she examined the schedule. She noted that there were options for gym, studying, and also resting. Did that mean it was possible to totally just sleep the whole week?

"Magic," Virginia giggled, and Ellen and Kitiara rolled their eyes in response. After a moment of debate, Kitiara decided that it was only prudent to take one of every magical class; Gym was most likely a poor option, she didn't know what to study, and she really wasn't tired enough to sleep. Room numbers appeared next to the colored sigils, and Kitiara noted that the first class was located in an adjacent hall. It was blue magic, which Ellen was also taking.

"I'm taking red," Virginia said, grinning. I'll catch you guys later!"

"You got it," Ellen said, and both she and Kitiara pulled away from their energetic roommate feeling slightly drained.

"I wonder where she gets all of that energy from," Ellen groaned. "I feel so tired, and we've only just had breakfast!"

"I know what you mean," Kitiara said, smiling. "My best friend back home was just like that."

"It must have been tough to say good bye," Ellen said, and Kitiara turned away.

"It was," she said sadly, and Ellen wisely let the subject drop.

The room was very easy to find, and it was already filled with students chattering amongst themselves. The teacher had yet to arrive, though the clock was almost at 9:15. Ellen and Kitiara took seats at the front of the class, which was strangely devoid of students. Most of the kids seemed to be fighting for the back rows, although neither Kitiara nor Ellen could see any reason for it.

"You don't think Professor Grabiner is teaching this class, do you?" Kitiara asked nervously as she and Ellen watched the students scramble around at the back. A sudden slamming brought their attention whipping back to the front of the classroom, where Professor Grabiner was standing, almost directly in front of her. It appeared as though he had heard her remark, as he was gazing at her in contempt, much to her dismay.

"Yes, I am, Miss Kix," he said, his british accent laced with the icy coldness of one who expects you to fail. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Ah, no," Kitiara said quickly, sinking into her seat. This was certainly a disaster.

"I'm sure you are all very excited to be here," he said to the class as a whole. He made it sound as if he couldn't really care. "You must truly be excited. You're going to be learning magic, something that you've only ever seen in movies. I'm sure you can't wait to summon lightning, hmm?" He walked across the front of the class, watching the students as if daring them to say something in reply. "Exploding walls, summoning beasts of fire and ice, destroying entire WORLDS!" As he said this last part, his face contorted into a snarl and he slammed a fist onto the desk. All of the students jumped nervously. "It is these romantic notions that will get you killed," he said, his voice much quieter, his eyes narrowed in contempt as he stared at every single student. His eyes came to rest on Kitiara's, and she sank lower into her seat. "And should you try to handle magic with such a foolish outlook, I can assure you-" there was no mistake, he was definitely saying this to Kitiara especially- "that you will be nothing more than a stain on the walls."

Kitiara swallowed, and Professor Grabiner finally released her from his intense, damning gaze. She could feel Ellen staring at her with wide eyes, but she was too scared to look and lose more demerits.

"Welcome to your first Blue Magic class," the tall man said, walking toward a chalk board. He waved a hand, and the piece of chalk rose up and began scribbling the words "Blue Magic year 1" on the board. "Here, you will learn the art of illusion and change. It is through blue magic that I am currently teaching both this class and the Red Magic Class at the other end of the school, as well as a few sophomore and senior classes." Impressed expressions were exchanged among the students, though no one dared whisper anything. "Prepare to take notes on the lecture. You be tested at the beginning of each class."

"That was torture," Kitiara moaned four hours later. Each class, it seemed, was four hours long to make up for the fact that only one class a day was to be taken. "Virginia was wrong. I'm pretty sure he hates me."

"I- Normally I'd disagree," Ellen said, frowning at Kitiara, "but I'm pretty sure he was picking on you. How were you supposed to know what distraction could do to a stone shaping spell?"

"He was referencing the incident yesterday," Kitiara moaned. She glanced around herself wearily, making sure that Professor Grabiner was not within earshot. "God, he's terrifying."

"I wonder why he hates all of the students so much," Ellen grumbled, as they walked through the entrance of Horse Hall. They had to dodge a few water balloons that were being tossed around by visiting Wolf Hall students- none of which were aimed at them, thankfully- before they reached the relative safety of their room.

"I wonder where Virginia is at," Kitiara said tiredly. "I'm pretty sure our classes end at the same time."

"She might be doing her homework."

They looked at each other and snorted.

Kitiara flopped onto her bed, feeling overwhelmed and excited as she pulled out her diary. The cover was still changing colors, and when she opened it she was surprised to see that her notes were right there, already written out- the entire lecture.

"I didn't know that these things did that," Kitiara said demurely. Ellen peered over her shoulder curiously and let out a little gasp of appreciation. She whipped hers out to see that it was much the same.

"That's incredibly helpful," the blonde haired girl said, smiling brightly. "Oh man, I can't possibly fail any of the tests with this!"

"One can hope," Kitiara said, smiling. "I'm sure I'll somehow find a way." She closed the book and set it beside her, falling onto her back and staring at the ceiling. She wondered what her ceiling looked like back home… She'd never thought about it, and had never really looked.

"I wonder what my family is doing back home," she said quietly. Ellen looked up from her diary, and her features seemed to reflect what Kitiara was feeling.

"Probably missing you," she said, smiling slightly.

"Maybe," Kitiara said, feeling slightly bitter. Things were probably going easier now that she wasn't around, mucking things up. Still, she knew that at least Rachel, George and Alex would write… Well, maybe Alex. They had all promised to, and her mother had even threatened that Kitiara would have so many letters that she wouldn't know where to put them. A sudden thought struck the brunette, and she lay there staring at the bland ceiling for a moment. "We should paint the ceiling."

"What?" Ellen said in surprise, looking up from her books. "Why would we do that?"

"It's so bland and… Boring," Kitiara said, looking at the plain white stucco. "Totally not worthy of a magical school. We could paint it, or put posters-"

"I don't think I'd sleep well with a poster above me," Ellen said nervously. "What if it fell?"

"I guess you'd wake up with a poster on your face," Kitiara giggled, though she agreed that it might be a bad idea. "Still, we could paint it."

"That might get everywhere. Although," Ellen hurriedly added when Kitiara made a face, "if you practiced hard enough at Blue Magic you might be able to enchant it. It is supposed to be the school of illusions."

"Ooooo, that's a good idea," Kitiara said smilingly. "Although I somehow doubt Grabiner will approve of my use of magic to decorate the ceiling."

"What would you even decorate it with?"

"Probably… Clouds," Kitiara said, dreamily imagining the illusion. "Clouds and rainbows and birds, and maybe phoenix's. Do you think there's such a thing as a phoenix?" She suddenly asked, turning to look at Ellen.

"Oh I hope so," Ellen sighed. "I've always loved Phoenix's, they're so beautiful. And faeries!"

"I think I saw a faerie when were at the Introduction ceremony," Kitiara giggled. "She looked… Interesting."

"Yeah," Ellen giggled back.

"Hey, babes!"

Both girls looked up to see Virginia burst through the door. "I am STARVING, and lunch is about to be served. Let's go before Grabiner gives me any more demerits!"  
"You got demerits?" Kitiara asked in astonishment.

"Yup!" Virginia laughed as her roommates joined her. "He asked what I should do if I was drowning, and I said I'd swim to the surface. Apparently I was supposed to try and come up with something magical."

"I never would have guessed," Ellen teased, and Virginia pretended to swat at her.

"What's for lunch?" Kitiara asked, hoping to distract Virginia from the mild insult.

"Hotdogs, I think," Virginia replied, and both Ellen's and Kitiara's eyebrows shot up. "What?" Virginia asked in confusion.

"It's just… That sounds so normal," Ellen said, sounding completely surprised.

"What did you expect? Cat's eyes and toad's liver?" Virginia laughed. "This is a magical school, not a cult of satanic worshippers!"

Just then, a girl with dark black hair, pale skin, and red eyes drifted past.

"That's such a shame, too," she said in response to Virginia's non-too-quiet statement. "Satanism is such a fascinating cult. So many… Liberties."

The three girls watched, stunned, until she was out of sight, drifting like a ghost.

"Um," Kitiara said, and Virginia just shook her head.

"Snakes," she grunted. "They're so weird."

The next week was uneventful in comparison. Kitiara had one more class with Professor Grabiner, and this time he was a little more fair in his treatment of her. He'd probably decided he'd humiliated her enough for her minor transgression, and she hurriedly attempted to do as best in his classes as she could. Her other classes were with Professor Potsdam, and Kitiara learned that Virginia had been right. Magic was not so easily separated into black and white, bad or good. Magic was in a constant gray area.

Red magic was attack or defensive magic, depending. With Red Magic, Kitiara learned that she could in fact call lightning, or freeze her opponents. She could push objects, slash at objects, make flames a few feet away from her.

With White Magic, Kitiara learned that it was closesly affiliated with the spirits. She could see the echoes of great emotions of the past, or sense spirits around her. She could read minds, send fear racing down an opponent's spine, and sense her surroundings.

With Black Magic, Kitiara learned that it wasn't bad at all. In fact, it had more to do with affecting objects around her. She could transform boulders, open or seal objects that could open, and trigger traps, should she put forth the effort to learn.

It was Green Magic that she found irrefutably important to her goals. Green Magic affected life, and the energy that made up life. With Green Magic, she could boost her strength, heal herself or others, create sickness, and countless other possibilities. This was the obviously the magic that she had to learn in order to cure her own mysterious weakness.

She was returning from this class on Friday, scanning her diary and her notes, when she- once again- bumped into someone.

"Oh!" She gasped, instantly afraid that it was Professor Grabiner again. Fortunately, it was not, though that didn't mean she recognized this person either. In fact, she was sure she had not seen him before.

A tall, slender boy with pale blue skin and bright, violet hair stood before her, grinning a cocky, crooked grin. His glittering eyes matched his hair, though what caught Kitiara most off guard were the enormous purple wings that sprouted from his shoulders.

"Oh!" She said again, dropping her notebook. Fortunately, she had not been walking too quickly this time, and was in no danger of falling. She just bounced back and away from the boy.

"You should be more careful," he laughed, and his voice was rich and sultry. She found herself blushing.

"I-I'm sorry," Kitiara stammered. She had never seen anything like him, and her curiosity burned within her. "You- You have wings." She had meant to phrase it as a question, but it mostly just sounded confused and almost accusatory.

"Why yes, I do," the boy laughed, and his grin widened.

"Is that- normal?" Kitiara managed to ask, and the boy laughed, throwing his head back and causing his long, violet hair to swirl around him.

"For me yes," he laughed. "For you, I suppose not. You must be a wildseed."

"Is it that obvious?" Kitiara asked, her face burning.

"Yes," the boy said. He leaned over suddenly, bowing at her. "My name is Damien. Might I ask what name you are known by?"

"I-" Kitiara felt stupid. She had never been sent into stunned silence by anyone, save for that one time when Alex had been sent flying over a cliff when she'd tried a skateboarding stunt. Fortunately it hadn't been nearly as steep as it had looked from Kitiara's point of view, and Alex had walked away unscathed and laughing.

"Is something wrong?" the boy asked, and for a moment a flicker of doubt seemed to pass through his eyes.

"Ah, no," Kitiara said hurriedly. "It's like you said… I'm a Wildseed. I've never seen anyone with w-wings before," she added timidly. "My name is Kitiara."

"Like a Kitty," Damien teased, and Kitara fought the impulse to groan. Nickname number two, coming right up. And she had actually dared to hope that that nickname might disappear.

"I suppose," Kitiara said ruefully, though Damien missed the tone in her voice. "How are you enjoying the magical world?" Damien asked, smiling crookedly at her.

"I like it very much." Kitiara tucked a loose strand of wavy brown hair behind her ear. "I have a lot to hope for here. I-I have a lot to lose, as well."

"Do you?" Damien asked, surprised. "Is that why you accepted the Choice?"

Kitiara felt foolish. Why had she said that? She was supposed to be keeping her weaknesses a secret. She didn't want anyone to know about her fragility, and she had done a great job hiding it so far.

"Um," Kitiara said, wracking her brain for a way out of this conversation.

"Let me guess," Damien said, smiling widely. "It's a secret."

"U-um," Kitiara said, turning bright red. She had always been a most outrageous liar.

"Well, you focus on your studies this week, Kitten," Damien said, ignoring her look of exasperation at the nickname. "Next week is going to be a hard one."

"It- why?" Kitiara asked, surprised, but Damien just chuckled and walked away. She watched him go for a minute before shaking her head and heading back toward her waiting dorm. Strange, strange people at this school.

It had become tradition for the girls to wait for each other after classes before going to lunch or dinner. Kitiara was heading back toward her dorm when she saw the door was open, and before she walked in she saw Ellen moving things around… On Virginia's side of the room. Peeking in, Kitiara realized with alarm that Ellen was going through Virginia's dresser.

_What is she doing?_ She thought to herself, brow furrowed. There was only one thing to do, and with that thought Kitiara whirled around to find Virginia.

She didn't have to look far. Virginia had just entered into Horse Hall and was making her way for her dorm that very moment, and Kitiara hurriedly dragged her back to the dorm room. They both peered in through the crack in the door.

"What is she doing?" Virginia asked curiously.

"Well… That's your stuff," Kitiara whispered back as they watched Ellen rummage through Virginia's things. "I honestly have no idea what she's doing."

"One way to find out. Hey, Ellen," she suddenly said, walking straight into the room. Ellen squeaked and dropped one of Virginia's uniforms, before hurriedly picking it up and setting it on Virginia's bed.

"Oh, h-hi," she said nervously.

"What're you doing?" Virginia asked curiously and bluntly. Her face had an expression of curiosity, and there was no animosity to be found in her voice at all. Kitiara stepped in behind her.

"W-well, I was… Cleaning," Ellen explained in a rush. "Y-you're so messy."

"So that's who's been doing it!" Virginia laughed. "I had wondered! I thought maybe the kitchen helpers had come up to start cleaning dorms."

"You don't have to clean, Ellen," Kitiara said, but Ellen shook her head vigorously.

"I don't mind," she said, smiling shyly. "I just… I hate messes."

"Hey, whatever makes the wheels go 'round," Virginia interrupted. "Thanks for letting me know Kix. That was a good call. And you don't have to clean my things, Ellen," Virginia said, still grinning. "If it bothers you that much, I'll… Um, try to clean."

"Trying is something," Kitiara said, smiling, and Ellen nodded her head.

"Okay," she said. "I can accept that."

"Good, because I am STARVING!"

All three girls laughed as they left the room together, and Kitiara was secretly relieved that that had gone so well. It could have ended in any number of ways, and she was glad that their friendship would continue.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n:** So here we have one of our first incidents, or at least somewhere near the end. It's also an important moment with Grabiner, however short.

**Disclaimer:** Game belongs to Hanako Games and true genius!

Also

**REVIEW**

Chapter 4

Saturday morning arrived with an eager Virginia up earlier than usual. Ellen and Kitiara watched in amusement and Virginia hopped around the room, attempting to find her socks and get dressed as quickly as possible.

"Aren't you guys even a LITTLE excited?" Virginia crowed excitedly. 'It's SATURDAY!"

"And?" Ellen asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's so good about Saturday?"

"Well, first of all-" Virginia started to say, but she was interrupted by a sudden sound of something sliding across the floor, and three envelopes suddenly appeared from under the door. With a cry of triumph, Virginia snatched them up, chucking one at Kitiara and the other at Ellen.

"What is this?" Kitiara asked curiously. She slid open the envelope to find five dollars inside the flap.

"Five dollars?" Ellen asked, her voice a little outraged.

"Yup!" Virginia said, tucking the five into her pocket. "I'm personally going to buy as many cookies and chocolates as I can. It has been WAY too long since I had a good piece sweet food."

"How come we only get five?" Ellen asked, frowning.

"We only get a little bit of it," Virginia said, shrugging. "One five dollar bill a week. I guess it's to teach us to spend wisely, or something."

"I don't see that working for you," Kitiara teased, and she narrowly dodged a flying a pillow.

"Why can't they just give to us all at once?" Ellen demanded. "That'd teach us saving, too."

"I dunno," Virginia snorted. "But the second part of why Saturdays are awesome is because we get to go to the mall!"

"There's a mall around here?" Kitiara said, blinking. She suddenly noted that Virginia wasn't wearing her school robes, and was instead dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a striped T-shirt.

"Of course," Virginia said. "Buses go back and forth from Iris Academy all day. It's really close by. We get to go every weekend, so long as it's safe. You guys HAVE to come."

"Well…" Ellen chewed her lip. "I was going to study."

"No way," Virginia groaned. "Take a day off! We have such a good weekend, it's so sunny and beautiful, you HAVE to come with me!"

"I'll go," Kitiara said, standing and heading to her dresser to fish out some ordinary clothes.

Virginia turned expectantly toward Ellen, who let out a gust of air that made her bangs fly up.

"I'll go too," she said, and Virginia jumped into the air with a triumphant fist pump.

"Whoo!" She crowed, and proceeded to dance around while Kitiara and Ellen got dressed.

Ellen decided and a comfortable-looking pair of jeans, sneakers, and a flowery shirt that seemed a bit like a dress. Kitiara went with a pair of shorts and her boots, as well as a tank top. She tied a jacket around her waist, just in case.

"Ready," Kitiara announced. Ellen nodded in agreement, and Virginia led the way out the door. They left Horse Hall in time to see Virginia's brother Donald and his friend Luke being led by a very annoyed and irate Professor Grabiner. Many of the students around them were cheering and clapping, and Donald was waving his hands like he had just accepted an award.

"What on Earth has he done now?" Virginia said aloud.

"If I'm correct," a voice said, "I think he somehow managed to flood both the boys' and girls' bathrooms… Simultaneously."

"The girls turned to see William walking toward them, a smile on his face.

"Figures," Virginia said, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. I'll meet you girls by the bus, if you want to stay here and watch the idiot parade." She turned and stalked off, leaving Ellen and Kitiara to watch Donald bowing and generally goofing off as he followed Professor Grabiner to what was presumably his detention.

"He's not a bad kid," William said apologetically to Ellen and Kitiara. "He's really a good sort. He's just… Misguided."

"He looks like he's having fun," Kitiara said. Donald must have heard, because he waved at her and Ellen.

"You betcha I'm having fun," he called. "I have a title to uphold!"

"Mr. Danson, if you don't shut up," Professor Grabiner called back icily, "I will make you shut up. I'd like to get rid of you as soon as possible, and you're little charades are only making this last longer."

Kitiara and Ellen giggled at each other as Donald and Luke passed by them, both of them winking at the three of them gathered.

When they had finally gone into the school building, the students milled about began to disperse, and Ellen, Virginia, and William made their way toward the bus that was heading for the mall. They hurried on when they saw Virginia waving at them from one of the windows.

"Wow, she certainly doesn't wait," Kitiara panted as she and Ellen raced aboard.

"When it comes to food, no one is faster than Virginia," William chuckled.

"I heard that!"

The three of them burst into laughter.

The bus ride was uneventful, save for a near mishap with one of the students and a flying paper airplane. Before they exited, Professor Potsdam- who was apparently riding on the bus all day to make sure that she got her message out- stood in the path and managed to get their attention.

"I must remind all of you that magic is strictly prohibited here," she said, eyeing each and every one of them sternly. "No magic in front of mortals, you all know that."

"Technically we're mortal too, aren't we?" Kitiara whispered, but both Virginia and Ellen just shrugged. William had gone to sit with some of his fellow seniors, and so couldn't answer her question.

"I hope you all have a great deal of fun, and remember! Do not leave the premises except to return to school!" With that, she stepped aside, and the students each filed off of the bus and headed straight for the mall, all of them sporting relatively normal clothing.

Kitiara jumped off and waited patiently for Ellen and Virginia to join her, and when they did Virginia led the way excitedly and quickly for the mall. The parking lot was only partially filled, and Kitiara wondered who came out here. She had no idea where they even were, to be honest, except that there was lush greenery all around them.

The mall itself wasn't anything fancy, although Kitiara hadn't really had anything like a "mall" back home. Ellen had apparently been to Los Angeles once, and according to her memories of it, this "mall" didn't really live up to the name. It had two floors that didn't stretch very far, a food court, and a few stores with slightly out-of-date fashion. Kitiara had no need for fashion, so that didn't bother her too much. She was happy to see that there was a bookstore, however, and it seemed to have a fairly large selection.

"There's also a magic store," Virginia said before turning them all loose. "They sell all sorts of magical items, but they're the only Magic store around. Anywhere else is completely normal."

"All right," Ellen and Kitiara nodded.

"I guess I'll catch you geeks later," Virginia laughed. "I am OFF to the food court to buy my a giant ice cream sundae!"

They went their separate ways, Ellen heading for the magic store as Kitiara perused the book store. She ahd meant to explore the other stores as well, but she ended up staying the entire day, making a list of books she was going to save up for. She currently had the paltry sum of $10 on her, and was therefore unable to really afford anything aside from coloring books, which were, of course, not an option. She did see some books by H. P. Lovecraft, and these were far more extensive than Kitiara's own collection of horror short stories back home. She excitedly wrote those down and their prices; despite the classic nature of H. P. Lovecraft's short stories and novellas, they were incredibly cheap, and Kitiara was ecstatic.

Toward the end of the day, when Kitiara started to leave, she noticed with surprise that there was familiar figure walking along the aisles of the bookstore. She blinked back her surprise before darting behind a shelf of books, pretending to look at a stack of magazines as she spied shamelessly on the man walking amongst the books.

His back was turned to her, but his hair was unmistakably familiar. Dark curls fell down to tense shoulders, and his body was tall and lean. He turned sideways, inspecting a book's contents, and Kitiara had to duck to avoid being seen. It was definitely Professor Grabiner, but she could have sworn that she'd seen him walking with Donald to detention.

Then again, this was the same man who taught multiple classes across the campus at once.

Relaxing slightly, Kitiara stood and tucked her list into her pocket. She figured it wasn't any of her business whether the Professor was here or not, despite her surprise at seeing him in semi-normal clothing. She glanced again at him as she was leaving, and noticed that he was wearing a thin brown sweater over black pants. He seemed to carry himself with great purpose and ease, as if he knew exactly who and what he was and for anyone to say anything different was like blasphemy.

Shaking her head, Kitiara headed for the ext, mentally making calculations to see how long it would be to afford the books she wanted. She was seated on the bus, going over the list in her hands and trying hard to put them in order from what she wanted most (seeing as there was no possible way she was going to be able to afford them all with $5 a week) when a voice interrupted her reverie.

"I would suggest Jules Verne."

Kitiara's head snapped up before she whirled around to see that Professor Grabiner was seated in the empty seat next to her. Looking around, she noticed that there were very few people on the bus, and no one else could have possibly said anything. Besides, it had been a British voice.

"Oh?" Kitiara said hesitantly. She wasn't sure how to respond.

"20,000 Leagues is a classic story," Professor Grabiner said without looking at her. He was paging through a book he had clearly just bought, examining its contents with seeming disinterest. "It would be a shame to not have read it."

"True," Kitiara said slowly, "although I think I'm going to get the collection of H. P. Lovecraft's stories. They're so outrageously dark and twisted, and very well written." She flushed when Grabiner looked up at, and instantly feared she had said something stupid.

"You do know that Howard Phillip Lovecraft was a wizard, yes?" Professor Grabiner said, raising any eyebrow.

"He- really?" Kitiara said, her eyes widening. In an instant her fear was forgotten, and she switched around, her full attention on her Professor. The change in demeanor seemed to catch him slightly off guard. "How do you know?" She asked in awed reverance.

"Many of the creatures he speaks of actually exist," Professor Grabiner said, raising an eyebrow. "I have had the misfortune to come across some of them in my life. You should pay attention to his writings, as they're most likely accounts that he'd gotten from other wizards who were foolish enough to meddle with their magic." He fixed a glare on Kitiara, but the girl was too excited to notice such a pointed remark.

"That's incredible," Kitiara was saying to herself quietly. Her hand tightened on the list, and she was more determined than ever to make sure that his collection came into her possession. Thinking on it, she realized how horrifying it was that those monsters were real, and she winced. "Real, huh?" She asked, turning back to the Professor.

"Which ones have you read?" Professor Grabiner said with a sigh, closing his book, and Kitiara eagerly launched into a short list. She'd read Color out of Space, Dunwhich Horror, and At the Mountains of Madness, as well as a few others.

"I do believe that all of those contain elements of truth," Professor Grabiner said slowly, looking thoughtful. "The Color out of Space is a real monster, although the story is not."

"And the other two?" Kitiara asked eagerly. She wasn't even entirely sure she wanted to know.

"I believe they contain elements of real beings that are incredibly dangerous," he said, eyeing her disapprovingly. "Miss Kix, if I hear that you've tried to summon-"

"Oh good Lord no," Kitiara said, instantly pulling back. "Those things are horrifying. But this presents an opportunity for me to see the real world differently, and to learn about the dangers of the Magical world. I… It's incredible," she finished lamely. "Have you read much of Lovecraft's writings?"

"Of course," was all he said. Kitiara suddenly had the impression that she was bothering him, and quickly attempted to make amends.

"Thank you for the impromptu lesson, sir," she said, smiling at him in thanks. He raised an eyebrow for a moment before opening his book and turning back to it. Kitiara supposed that that was all she was going to get.

It was just as well, too. Within ten minutes they had arrived, and Professor Grabiner swept off of the bus in such a manner that Kitiara found she had no trouble at all picturing him with his usual billowing cape. She followed after him more slowly, deeply wishing that she had brought her books with her from home. Of course, she had not known what to bring, and was afraid that if she had, she would have had to send them back or worst- throw them out.

Which brought her attention to something that was a little worrying.

She hadn't heard from her parents.

Walking in the dark always made her thoughts more morose than usual, and the silence filled in around her. She glanced around, sighing heavily as her mind relaxed in the relative loneliness.

They hadn't written. No one had. They could have been busy, or the mail could be late, but it was the point that she had not received anything from her parents at all that bothered her most.

The sudden sound of footsteps reached her ears, and she turned in time to see Donald heading straight for her. He hadn't noticed her yet, and he was walking briskly, his head down.

There wasn't enough time to jump out of his way, so she braced herself for impact. It didn't do much good, and Kitiara was knocked to the floor, Donald bouncing off of her without much harm to himself.

Pain flared through her right side, and alarm followed soon after.

This was bad.

"Whoa," Donald was saying. "I'm sorry! I didn't- hey, are you okay?" He suddenly asked, kneeling beside her. Kitiara gasped in pain.

"My- my leg," she hissed.

"You couldn't have fallen that hard," Donald said perplexedly.

"Do you- do you know a heal spell?" Kitiara asked through gritted teeth. The pain was growing; it was either going to be a nasty bruise, or she had cracked something. Or worst.

"This isn't funny," Donald said. "You can't have-"

"Stop with the 'can't' and start with the helping," Kitiara hissed.

"I don't know a spell, but I know someone who does," Donald said hurriedly. "You- stay here," he added awkwardly, before getting up and sprinting off.

Waiting was the worst part.

Sucking in a breath of air and letting it out through her teeth, Kitiara tried to switch off of the injured side. Unfortunately that proved to be too much, and an incredible amount of pain shot through her, making her cry out. She gently lowered herself back down, but the damage was done; the pain was instantly worst.

After what seemed like ages of agonized silence, the sound of multiple footsteps reached her ears, and Kitiara looked up to see Donald running back toward her, William hot on his heels. He had apparently dressed down for the night, because he wasn't wearing a shirt and his light blue hair was loose and down.

"She's right there," Donald was saying. "I swear, I don't know what happened, she only fell!"

"Hey," William said, pushing past Donald and running right up to Kitiara. "Kitiara, right?"

"Yeah," Kitara gasped, trying hard not to cry. The pain was building.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Leg. It's- leg."

"Right leg, I'm assuming. Hang on, and don't move."

William passed his hands over her right leg, and warmth seeped through her muscles. The pain was suddenly edging away, and with a gasp of relief, Kitiara realized she could both feel and move the appendage. In moments, the pain was almost entirely gone, though she was surprised to see that William was sweating. He leaned over backward and sat panting, watching her with a guarded expression.

"What happened?" Donald asked, kneeling down beside her. "Seriously. That wasn't normal."

"Yeah," Kitiara said bitterly. Now that the ordeal was over ant the pain was gone, tears were threatening for an entirely different reason. "You've got that right. It's never normal."

"Does this happen often?" William said quietly.

"If by often you really mean every time I knock into something, or fall down, or move too fast, then yes," Kitiara snapped. She knew it wasn't his fault, and he had helped her, had made the pain go away. She shouldn't have been snapping at him, but… It was like no matter where she went, this stupid weakness followed her.

"I don't get what's going on," Donald said slowly, but William shook his head.

"It's fine," he said, standing up slowly. He offered Kitiara a hand, who took it after a moment's hesitation. She was avoiding his eyes, and he could see that she was ashamed of her outburst.

"Thank you for helping me," she said quietly, and before William could say anything she had whirled around and was almost running toward Horse Hall.

Donald made to go after her, but his elder brother stopped him, earning him an annoyed look.

"William-"

"I've never felt anything like this," William said quietly. "It feels like she's got some kind of disease so deeply ingrained in her bones, her body, that it's effecting how she lives. Her bones are so weak, it's a wonder she can walk without hurting herself. It's like… A twisted version of some intense bone infections." Donald jerked his head back in disbelief.

"Isn't that… Aren't those old people problems?"

"It depends. In this case, it's a 16 year old girl who's suffered her entire life with a brittle, easily broken body."

"You're joking."

"Donald. She just broke her hip by falling to the ground from a light bump."

The younger boy was quiet.

"You're in her grade," William said, still staring after Kitiara. "She's a good friend to Virginia, and she'd probably be a good friend to you," he added when Donald looked ready to snap a retort concerning Virginia. "If you're around her and you sense something dangerous about to happen, just… Watch out for her, yeah?"

"Yeah," Donald said, sounding uncomfortable. "I feel… Bad."

"Don't. You didn't know."

"How could she not tell anyone about this?" Donald demanded.

"My guess?" William said quietly. "She's learning magic to fix it. I'm assuming she's tired of people treating her differently because of it. Treat Kitiara like normal, Donald," he warned. "Don't give her any special treatment. Promise me," he added.

"Why do you care?" Donald complained.

"She's Virginia's friend," William said, ignoring the venomous look Donald shot him. "She's good for V. Just do it, okay? And don't tell anyone. I'm sure the Professors already know."

"… Whatever."

William looked down at his younger brother in despair. He had an idea of what Donald was feeling, but his brother was constantly shutting him out, and there was nothing he could say to change that. Sighing and rubbing his neck, William ruffled his brother's hair before turning and heading back to Wolf Hall.

After a long moment of silence, Donald followed, the expression on his face sour and dark.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I do not remember what is in this chapter. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Praise Hanako.

Chapter 5

Sunday came, and Kitiara found herself sitting alone in her room, staring at the desk in the corner. Ellen had gone to study in the library, and Virginia had said that she had plans to do something, which left Kitiara alone with her thoughts… Which was very unfortunate.

Last night's even had left her feeling bitter and useless, though she was grateful that neither William nor Donald had come to mention it to her. In fact, it didn't seem that they hadn't mentioned it to anyone, which made her feel slightly guiltier about her treatment of William. To add insult to injury, there was still no word from her parents.

Throwing her legs over the edge of her bed and angrily ruffling her hair, Kitiara stood and made her way over to the desk, pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen. It took her a moment to think of what to write.

"Dear mom and dad," she wrote.

"Iris Academy is amazing! I'm learning so much." She paused; she wasn't allowed to talk about the magic, but she was sure her parents would be curious. "I've never had to work with something so amazing as what they're teaching me here. I have high hopes that I'll learn to cure who I am. Who knows; maybe by the time I come home for Thanksgiving, I'll be a whole new person!" She tapped the pencil to her lip before continuing. "My roommates, Virginia and Ellen, are very nice and kind to me. I've already made friends with them, as well as tons of other people. The professors here are incredibly smart and helpful." She figured mentioning that there were only two of them was a bad idea. "One of them is pretty grouchy and scary, but the other professor that I've met is really nice and bubbly.

"I really miss you." She sniffled, feeling herself tumbling into nostalgia. "I miss everyone back home. Write me as soon as you can, okay? Tell Rachel to study her math, and tell George to make his move. Tell Alex… Tell Alex that I miss her. A lot. I love you guys." She signed the letter, stuck it in an envelope, and promised herself that she would take it to Professor Potsdam's office tomorrow after class.

After that, she was positive that she couldn't stick around in her dorm anymore, and she quickly pulled open her door and left the stuffy, far-too-quiet room.

Outside, it was lovely, beautiful, and hard to remember why she'd been so sad. The air was crisp, the leaves were green and full, and everything was just so… Amazing. Kitiara wondered briefly if the leaves were green year round. She hoped not; fall was her favorite time of the year.

As Kitiara was walking around the courtyard, she saw a little copse of trees just off to the side. She headed toward it eagerly, anticipating the idea of finding a secret little alcove to hide away in. She stopped short, however, when she saw that Virginia was already inside it, standing a little away from a pair of benches. Before Kitiara could run over to say hello, she realized that Virginia was talking to a girl with bright pink hair and giant fairy wings. Feeling awkward and out of place, Kitiara immediately turned and veered away from the foliage, once again feeling lonely.

Deciding she'd had enough of feeling sorry for herself, Kitiara figured she could always study up on the magic she was studying. She wasn't going to get any better just walking around outside.

The library was located on the second floor of Iris Academy's main building, and it didn't take up much space. It was small, which was surprising to Kitiara. One look at the magazines told her that they were pretty sparse and out of date, and the books were medium sized tomes that covered the basics of every magic school.

Grabbing two tomes on Green and White magic, Kitiara took them to her desk. To her immense surprise, as she was paging through the book, she realized that they had to be magical books. It had thousands and thousands of pages, all hidden away inside the tiny book, and if Kitiara wanted to read a particular section written by one wizard or witch, she had only to run her finger along the chapter, turn the page, and she was there.

Delighted, she spent the rest of the day learning proper breathing techniques for casting Green magic, and the stance one should take when casting low-level white magic spells. She went to bed feeling excited for the next week.

Monday dawned with Kitiara waking up extra early, and she carefully paged through her diary, examining her notes to decide which magical classes she should focus on this week. To her dismay, she couldn't choose. Being as weak as she was, it was beyond questioning that she take Green magic. That one was easy. But because she was weak, she should learn to defend herself, and Red magic was best for that. Blue magic would teach her to combine the other school together, resulting in who knew what, and White magic was incredibly intriguing. And Black magic had to be imperative to the magical world…

It took her a few minutes before she finally decided to just sign up for each class again. She'd just have to study hard to be able to keep up with them, and maybe by next week she'd have a better idea of what classes she should focus on.

As Kitiara was finishing up with her diary, she could hear Ellen stirring and finally waking up completely. Kitiara turned to see a very disgruntled and tousled Ellen looking around in confusion.

"Good morning," Kitiara said pleasantly.

"Is it Monday?" Ellen yawned.

"Yup. You wanna wake up Virginia, or should I?"

"Depends. What tiiiiiiiiiiime-" Ellen struggled to keep from yawning. She shook herself, looking more awake, and tried again. "What time is it?"

"It's… Almost 7:30."

"You wake her up. She almost kicked me in the face last time."

"Oh thanks," Kitiara laughed. She got up and walked over to Virginia's bed, where she lay half hidden under a series of tangled up blankets and pillows. Ellen started gathering her shower bits and bobs, watching Kitiara in a detached sort of interest.

"Virginia," Kitiara called softly. No response. The brunette carefully poked the girl's exposed arm, and it swatted at her, earning a startled yelp out of Kitiara. She exchanged a look with Ellen, who had stopped preparing to watch, a half grin on her face. "Virginia," Kitiara said, a little more loudly.

"Mmmmmmmph." Virginia flipped over, her back to Kitiara, slamming her pillow tighter around her head. Kitiara, thinking for a moment, walked over to the window and pulled the shutters completely open.

"She has a pillow covering her head," Ellen pointed out, and Kitiara just nodded.

"I may need your help," Kitiara said, blinking in the sudden sheer brightness of the room. She stood by Virginia's pillow, still clamped tightly in her fingers, and grabbed two exposed edges. She counted silently to three before tugging as hard as she could.

It came free much easier than she'd thought it would, and with a squawk she was sent flying onto Ellen's bed, which was directly across from Virginia's, luckily enough. Ellen had to run out the door as she burst into laughter, as Kitiara was now located on Ellen's bed, her legs in the air. Virginia had leapt up, almost hissing with indignation at the brightness of the room and the sudden disappearance of her pillow.

"GIVE ME MY PILLOW," she growled, her eyes red with sleep.

"Take it and run!" Kitiara shrieked, tossing it to Ellen outside the door. Ellen made a flying dash for the bathroom, and Virginia was on her feet, sprinting after her and shouting various obscenities.

Giggling and glad that she was already dressed and ready, Kitiara gathered the things she thought she would need for today and carefully closed her dorm room behind her, deciding against locking it. She wasn't sure if either Ellen or Virginia had their key, and didn't want to be in trouble if they didn't and she'd locked the door.

Kitiara opened her diary and found, to her surprise, that all freshman and seniors were to make their way to the gym after breakfast for "initiation".

That didn't sound too exciting.

Kitiara was joined thirty minutes later by a very disgruntled, grumpy Virginia. Ellen followed almost immediately after, still giggling at the morning's proceedings. Virginia refused to say anything to either of them- or anyone, really, not even William- and stuffed her face with cereal and French toast.

Once she was looking a little more aware of her surroundings and less sleepy, Kitiara pointed out the notice in her diary.

"Really?" Ellen asked curiously, whipping hers out. She opened it and was surprised to find that it, too, had declared the exact same message.

"Initiation," Virginia explained, spreading butter on her toast. "William wouldn't tell me what would happen."

"I'm kind of worried," Kitiara voiced aloud. "What if we have to do something weird, or dangerous?"

"I doubt it," Ellen said, but she didn't sound too sure. "Professor Potsdam would never allow it."

"Yeah, but I bet Grabby would love to see us have to do something dangerous," Vriginia.

"I don't get that kind of vibe from him," Kitiara objected. "I doubt he'd let us risk our lives."

"He'd let Donald," Virginia pointed out, and both Ellen and Kitiara couldn't help but snicker at that.

They spent the rest of their time chatting about what they might have to do, but in the end they weren't any closer and it was 8:45. They hurriedly gathered their things and ran to the gym.

The seniors were each gathered on the stage that was located at the back of the gym, where Porfessor Potsdam had given her speech just last week. To Kitiara's immense surprise, Damien was one of the seniors up there. When he saw her looking, he winked, causing Kitiara to blink rapidly. She wasn't used to people winking at her.

"Hello, students!" Professor Potsdam called, as she walked up to the podium. Silence fell among all of the kids gathered, and Kitiara saw that there was a great deal of excitement for the seniors on stage. She returned her attention to Professor Potsdam. "As this is your freshman year, you will be required to take part in initiation, which is an old tradition here at Iris Academy!" She turned to her right, where William was standing patiently. Virginia perked up, pride on her face.

"William was last year's President of the student council," she murmured, and Ellen and Kitiara both gave small sounds of awe.

"William will hand out the pamphlet to each of you," Professor Potsdam said, handing a stack of pamphlets to the blue haired teen. The three girls exchanged looks; pamphlets?

"Initiation," Professor Potsdam continued, as William hurriedly passed out the pamphlets, "will mostly consist of you following simple orders from your seniors."

The Freshman all exchanged alarmed glances.

"Not to worry," Professor Potsdam said cheerily. "It's mostly silly things, fun things, but remember- if a student asks you to do something dangerous, you should NOT do it. You must come to either me or Professor Grabiner, and let us know."

Kitiara glanced at the pamphlet, and Professor Potsdam gave them all a minute to browse the Initiation booklet. Apparently they were each going to be claimed by a senior, and that senior was going to have to look out for and protect their subsequent freshman, or boss them around. Commands could go anywhere between ordering the freshman to be shorter than the senior, or making them buy the senior a drink, or reciting- on command- the school's Alma Mater.

"FRESHMAN!" Someone suddenly boomed, and a couple dozen heads suddenly snapped up. Another senior had stepped up o the microphone, and most of the seniors were eagerly filing down and off of the stage. "YOU ARE TOO TALL!" The senior yelled. "GET DOWN!"

Thus began the next five minutes of yelling, cajoling, and generally humiliating most of the students until they were almost entirely prone on the ground. Ellen and Kitiara had ended up back to back while a gaggle of seniors circled like sharks.

Virginia was snatched up almost immediately by a student with his hood up. She seemed incredibly unhappy with the choice.

Kitiara was next. Damien had suddenly appeared before her, smirking at her with amused, violet eyes.

"So this was what you meant," Kitiara asked ruefully. Damien chuckled at her expression.

"This is something all seniors look forward to," he said demurely. "It's like… A passage rite that shows that you have made it through school."

"Of course," Kitiara said, smiling. Damien offered her his hand.

"Take my hand," he said, and Kitiara got the impression that saying no would be a very bad idea indeed. She raised her hand and accepted his, and he hauled her up.

A flash of trepidation spread through Kitiara's body, but it was gone before she could even really register that it was there. Fortunately her expression didn't change, or at least she assumed it didn't. Damien was still smiling at her, and she tried to return it as best as she could.

What was that feeling that she'd felt? What had it meant?

"Welcome to Initiation," Damien said in a smooth voice, and Kitiara chuckled nervously. Fortunately, Damien misinterpreted it. "Don't worry," he said, "I won't make you do anything ridiculous, although Angela is someone you should look out for."

"Warning accepted," Kitiara said gratefully, watching the tall girl that Damien had gestured to. She had very short, boyish red hair, and she was yelling the most at the other students. To Kitiara's immense relief, it was William who got to Ellen, although he was casting her some odd looks.

"You should probably head to class," Damien said, and Kitiara returned her attention to him. "Class doesn't stop for Initiation. Whatever you do, don't interrupt any of Grabiner's classes."

"No worries there," Kitiara said honestly. "No way I'm doing that." Damien walked with her to the gymnasium doors, seeing her off and making sure that none of the other seniors attempted to harass her.

"Until next time," he said, bowing to her, and she smiled back uneasily.

"See you," she said awkwardly, and then she was hurrying off to class.

Kitiara was distracted in her Red Magic class. She was trying to shake the feeling that there was something she should be worried about with Damien, but the feeling was sort of stuck. Frustrated and unable to pay much attention to the lab, she threw her arms down in disgust.

The class had started with Professor Grabiner separating them and sending each student to their own lab table, where a series of objects was set up, depending on the spell the student was working on this week. Kitiara, having only taken one Red Magic class, was working on the spell Breeze, which was a low level spell and would help settle her mind for the next spell.

"Having trouble, Miss Kix?"

Kitiara turned to see Professor Grabiner- who had been walking around the class, observing some of the other students- watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"I can't concentrate," Kitiara said impatiently. "My mind is… Um, occupied, and I can't get it to focus."

"You might try meditation," Professor Grabiner suggested, though his tone of voice suggested that he didn't think she would listen. "For now, just take slow breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, and will the 'distractions' to dissipate."

Kitiara nodded, turned back to the table, and closed her eyes. She slowly breathed in through her nose, and out through her mouth, repeating the process a few more times. To her surprise, her whirling thoughts began to slow, and the sense of unease began to disperse. It was still there, but it was calmer, and no longer on the edge of her thoughts.

Opening her eyes again, Kitiara willed her flow of magic to a specific point of her mind, which she envisioned as powerful, defensive, and physical. A bright red color flared behind her eyes, in her imagination, and she lifted her hands.

To everyone's complete surprise, a warm breeze flowed through the room, ruffling everyone's hair and capes. It flowed right out through the window.

"I did it!" Kitiara squealed, and when she turned around she saw that both of Professor Grabiner's eyebrows were raised. Clearing her throat and attempting to hide the burning that was spreading through her cheeks, she turned back to the table. "I'll just, ah, try again," she murmured.

"Practice does make permanent," Professor Grabiner said monotonously, though it appeared that he might have grinned as he walked by and the corner of his mouth twitched. Eager to impress, Kitiara spent the rest of class attempting to control the flow of the breeze, and managed to get it to follow a specific path by the end of the four hours.

"Hey girly!"

Kitiara looked up from her studying to see both Virginia and Ellen push their way into the room, and she smiled up at them.

"Hey guys," she responded.

"How was initiation?" Virginia asked, grinning wolfishly.

"I got William," Ellen said, smiling brightly. "He's so nice! I'm so glad he's my senior and not Angela."

"Yeah, I saw her screaming at some freshman in the courtyard as I was heading to the dorm," Kitiara said. "I've never run so fast in my life."

"I got Balthazar," Virginia said. She rolled her eyes. "He's OBSESSED with plants, I swear to God. During Potsdam's Green Magic class all he talked about was his mushroom collection."

"That sounds pretty 'spore-ing'," Kitara snickered, which earned her two groans and a launch of pillows thrown at her.  
"Who'd you get?" Ellen asked after they had sufficiently punished Kitiara for her terrible joke.

"Damien," Kitiara said, and the response was immediate.

"You need to watch out for him," Virginia growled, and her expression was dark and no longer fun. Her tone of voice seemed to invite little to no arguments.

"Why?" Kitiara asked, her heart speeding up.

"He's a womanizer," Virginia said, carefully picking up her pillow and setting it somberly on her bed. "He breaks hearts and hurts people left and right. He's trouble."

"But-"

"William hates him," Virginia pointed out, "and if William doesn't trust him, I don't trust him, and neither should you."

Kitiara winced. It seemed her gut instinct was being agreed with by Virginia, but… How could she just shake him off? Kitiara wasn't used to giving people the cold shoulder. Usually, she embraced the people that no one else wanted to be around, but… Her initial feelings…

"What's up with those wings?" She said after a moment. "And his skin?"

"He's a demon." Virginia's voice sounded like that should have been common knowledge. "Everyone knows that."

"Excuse me for being Wildseed," Kitiara said wryly, and Ellen snorted.

"Forgot," Virginia said flippantly. "The point is, no one knows Damien or his family or who he is. In the magic world, that's big. My family has connections with every family in the United States," she added. "Every magical family is like that. When Damien showed up, no one knew him. No one knew who he was."

"Maybe he was Wildseed," Ellen pointed out, but Virginia shook her head.

"Does that look wild to you?"

"Depends on your definition of 'wild'," Kitiara immediately put in, earning her another pillow toss.

"You know what I mean," Virginia snapped. "Look, he's bad news, that much I know. Just… Be careful."

"I will," Kitiara said gravely. "Now let's get something to eat, before Balthazar's mushrooms start growing in here with all of this gloom and doom."

The three girls left smiling, but Kitiara's unease had returned full force. She was pretty sure she was going to have to practice that meditation stuff Grabiner had been talking about.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/n:** Hey guys! Here you are, in true fashion: Chapter 6, not edited! Lawl.

Thank you to Gabi-Hime for reviewing! I love getting reviews. Honestly, that review was the only reason that I updated today. That, and the very supportive PM's I've been receiving from another great Fanfiction author, Rachel Scavo. Thank you so much guys! It means everything!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Diary- I owe thanks to Hanako that it exists ^_^

Chapter 6

The rest of that day was spent trying to dodge the seniors as best they could, but at one point Ellen was required to recite the Alma Mater by memory. Panicking, she managed to completely forget the entire second half, but Kitiara came to the rescue by standing directly behind her and whispering the words into Ellen's ear. Fortunately, she'd crouched down low, and the senior- who was mildly short- didn't seem to notice, so Ellen was let off the hook.

Lunch was fun and mostly normal, but for the seniors running around ordering freshman to do things for them. At one point Virginia was called over so that Balthazar could show her the difference between the manufactured mushrooms on his pizza and wild mushrooms, much to her chagrin. Ellen had to be saved by William when a gaggle of seniors attempted to try and get her to stay shorter than them… While they continued to crouch lower to the ground. Ellen would have toppled over entirely had William not arrived to catch her and chase off her offenders.

Kitiara was sitting at the table, watching and laughing, when a student known as Big Steve- one of the tallest and most muscular students in the school, sporting a giant green afro- popped up next to her. According to rumor, his family was African American, but he was Albino and had decided to dye his hair green. He was usually very quiet, but when he gave an order people generally scrambled to do his bidding.

"Freshman," he growled, and Kitiara immediately leapt up, nervous. "Get me coffee." He immediately thrust three dollars at her, glowering at her with his intense, too-bright eyes.

"What kind-"

"Now," he growled, and Kitiara took off at a sprint.

As she was racing through the courtyard to a coffee stand that was located in the main hall of Iris Academy (something that mostly seniors seemed to visit), she was stopped by a now-familiar voice.

"Kitty Cat!"

She turned to see Damien leaning against a pillar, grinning at her. It reminded her of the kind of grin a cat might give a mouse. He beckoned to her with a blue-skinned finger, his grin widening.

"Damien," she said, hesitating in approaching him. "Big Steve told me to get him coffee… Or… Well, he kind of growled it, so-"

"Is Big Steve your senior?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, no…"

"Then you can spend a few minutes to listen to me."

Kitiara hesitated one more second before walking over to the violet-haired boy. He chuckled at her nervous expression.

"What's up?" She asked, before he could say anything.

"I've thought of the perfect duty for my favorite freshman," he announced, his voice akin to a purr. A picture of a lion hunting in the safari came to Kitiara's mind.

"Oh?" She said, trying not to sound too nervous.

"You will write me a love letter," he announced triumphantly. Kitiara's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock.

"A- a love letter?" She gasped.

"I've always wanted to receive one," Damien said flippantly. "I figured this was exactly the sort of duty I could have you do, and your expression says it all. It embarrasses you, and it's difficult to pull off!"

"I-I suppose," she said nervously. "Well… If you really want me to."

"And make sure to seal it with a kiss," Damien chuckled, winking at her. "Now you might want to get Big Steve's coffee… He's probably wondering where you are."

With a start, Kitiara hurriedly bid him good bye and rushed off to get the coffee. There were far too many flavors, but she saw one that was exactly three dollars (there was no tax for the students). She figured that was exactly what Big Steve wanted, bought that, and rushed back to the cafetorium.

Big Steve was standing patiently right where she'd left him, and Kitiara darted up to him, panting in exertion.

"Here," she gasped. The tall boy took the cup from her, sniffed it, and took a sniff. To Kitara's immense relief (as well as the surprise of many of the students who were eagerly watching), Big Steve's face split into a wide smile.

"My favorite," he said, smiling widely. He reached forward, patted Kitiara on the head, and proceeded to walk away, drinking leisurely from the cup.

"THAT was impressive," Virginia said, having finally been freed from Balthazar's attentions.

"I've never been so scared in my life," Kitiara said, letting out a deep breath. "He didn't even tell me which one to get."

"How'd you know?" Ellen asked, also freed from her tormentors.

"Well, there was a coffee flavor that was the exact amount of change that he'd given me, so I figured…" Kitiara shrugged. "It was a gamble."

"No kidding," Virginia snorted. She rolled her eyes. "I have to go to the library. Balthazar says he needs five specific books on mushroom spores, and he needs them ASAP. Of course, I have to go get them." She waved, gathering her things. "I'll catch you guys at Dinner, probably."

"Sure thing," Ellen said, and they said their farewells. Ellen and Kitiara hurriedly made their way back to the dorm, though they weren't bothered in the slightest.

Kitiara sat with a huff at the desk almost immediately, grabbing a sheet of paper and a pencil. She was going to finish this embarrassing task now and get it out of the way, especially since Virginia wasn't going to be back for a while.

But what to write?

"What's on your mind?" Ellen asked curiously, watching Kitiara shift uncomfortably.

"Damien asked me to write him a love letter," Kitiara confessed after a moment.

"Really?"

"Yeah… And I've never written one before in my life."

"Well…" Ellen paused, thinking. "Compare him to something. You know," she added, "like Shakespeare. 'Shall I compare thee to a Summer's Day…'"

"Do you think he'd know if I just wrote that?" Kitiara said, scrunching up her nose.

"Probably," Ellen giggled.

"Well… Hmm… How about… 'Your voice is like butter…'"

"Butter?" Ellen snorted with laughter.

"Well, yeah," Kitiara said defensively. "You know…" She continued writing. "'When I hear it, it feels like it's melting with…' With…" Kitiara floundered.

"Buttery smooth magic?" Ellen suggested, and Kitiara made a triumphant sound, writing it down.

"'When I hear your buttery voice, I just want to… To melt in your arms'," She said, grinning in triumph. "'Yours always, your favorite freshman.'"

"I guess that works." Ellen leaned back, smirking slightly.

"Well it isn't a REAL love letter," Kitiara said dismissively. "It's allowed to be a little silly. Although… My writing is horrible… It looks like chicken scratch, honestly."

"If you'd like, I can write it out for you," Ellen offered. "I have really pretty, floral paper."

"Would you?" Kitiara asked, her eyes lighting up. She handed Ellen the paper, and the blonde haired girl took it and began transcribing it. Her script was flowing, perfect, and neat.

By the time Virginia came, the deed was done, and Ellen didn't say anything on a spoken agreement. They both knew that there was no way Virginia would appreciate the deed, even if it was an order by Initiation. The next day, Kitiara ran into Damien as they were heading to class from breakfast, and she handed it to him, allowing the letter to momentarily leave her mind. The rest of the week went swimmingly, with Kitiara learning Diagnosis from Professor Potsdam's Green Magic class- which allowed her to basically find out what was ailing a person, something she used on herself and caused her to be incredibly depressed for the remainder of the day- Spirit Sight from her White magic class (the use of which nearly scared the pants off of her when a spirit suddenly appeared across from her, staring at Kitiara with unnervingly wide eyes), and Inscription from her Black Magic class, which enabled her to inscribe something on a target object. As for Initiation, the most she was forced to do was crawl around on the ground when Angela got to her, until William came to her rescue. She saw neither hide nor hair of Damien for the rest of the week, which would have worried her had she not been so distracted with lessons.

Unfortunately, her week was doomed to end poorly.

Friday morning went as per usual, and Kitiara and the other students were gathered in Professor Grabiner's Blue Magic class, ready and waiting. Kitiara had had a funny feeling about class before she'd gone in, but she shook it off as just being afraid of Professor Grabiner.

It was a few minutes before he swept into class, and everyone immediately knew something was wrong. He looked infuriated and testy.

"Good morning, class." His voice was filled with venom and disapproval, and that bad feeling went straight through Kitiara's gut again. She glanced to her left, where Ellen was sitting. The blonde-haired girl glanced at her in return.

Professor Grabiner stood tall and cold at the front of class, intimidating in his fury. "I seem to have received a letter, hopefully-" clearly it was not hoping for his sake- "by mistake. Let me see… 'Your voice is like butter…'"

Kitiara's heart sank and her skin went cold. That was the letter she'd written for Damien, and while it of course sounded ridiculous not a soul in the classroom dared to laugh.

Professor Grabiner looked up, his eyes lethal. "Perhaps the student would like to speak up and claim the letter?" He asked, his voice cold and hard.

No one moved. Kitiara prayed that he would let it drop.

"No?"

No answer.

"Well, fortunately I happen to know a spell that reveals who has written the letter…"

Both Kitiara and Ellen stiffened in horror. It may have been Kitiara's letter, but Ellen had been the one to write it.

Kitiara immediately jumped up, her face burning hot.

"It's mine, sir," she blurted out. "I wrote it for-"

"20 demerits and detention," Grabiner interrupted, fury evident on his face. "I had hoped you would know better, Miss Kix."

"But sire, it was-"

"Silence!" He snapped. "Leave my class." When Kitiara didn't move, he swept toward her, his hand flashing out. With a flash of light, Kitiara suddenly found herself outside, and she stumbled as she hit the floor a bit.

"I think I was just dismissed," she said numbly, before snapping back to attention. Damien was suddenly on the forefront of her mind, and she whirled around to the boy's dormitory, her own fury lighting up her eyes. In return, most of the students that she passed- seniors included- wisely stayed away from her.

"Damien!" She shouted as soon as she was in the boy's Falcon Wing. Miraculously, it seemed that he was in, and a door near the back of the hall slid open, a head of violet hair poking out.

When he saw that it was Kitiara, he hopped out and walked over to her, his face alarmed.

"What's wrong?" He asked as soon as he'd reached her.

"My letter," she said through gritted teeth. "The letter I wrote you. Somehow it ended up in Grabiner's hands, and he won't listen to me!"

Damien's face was further marred with alarm, and he leaned down to look at her face to face.

"Truly?" He demanded. Kitiara nodded, to infuriated to speak. "Kitiara, you should know that I didn't do it," he said. "Although… It may have been my fault."

"Oh?" Kitiara seethed.

"Yes… I was boasting… To the other seniors."

"Boasting?" She sounded incredulous.

"Yes. My freshman had written me a love letter on my demand. I had noticed it was gone from my room this morning, but… I hadn't thought that someone could have possibly stolen it…" He looked helplessly at her, and Kitiara forced herself to calm down.

"My Professor thinks I'm an idiotic blundering moron," she growled. "He kicked me out of class. Please tell me you have a solution, because currently, he isn't listening to me."

"He kicked you out?"

"More like teleported me out. I'm pretty sure it was about five inches from the floor, too."

"Damnit," Damien swore. "I shouldn't have boasted. Kitiara, I promise you, I will go see if I can smooth things over."

To Kitiara's immense surprise, he immediately pushed past her and ran out of the hall at top speed, his wings flared open in agitation.

Kitiara had to take a moment to breathe in through her nose, out through her mouth. It was definitely taking longer than last time, and she briefly remembered something she'd once seen Rachel do. Placing both thumbs on her temples, she tried again.

"In through your nose," she repeated, "out through your mouth."

She continued to quietly repeat it to herself, and her breathing slowed, her heart returning to a more normal, calm pace. As she was concentrating on cooling her anger and embarrassment, she missed the swishing of robes approaching her.

"Miss Kix."

Kitiara whirled around, shock nearly upsetting the last few minutes of work.

"Professor!" She said, eyes wide. He was staring at her with an expression that she couldn't read. After a moment, she returned to herself, and she crossed her arms. It might have been the lingering sting of anger, but she couldn't stop herself as she said, "Come to yell some more at me?"

To her surprise, her Professor closed his eyes and sniffed in amusement, a sort of half grin appearing briefly. When he opened his eyes, all traces of amusement were gone.

"It seems I must apologize," he said demurely. "I fully intend to explain to the class that the letter was not meant for me and that you were not in the wrong."

"Do you always fly off the handle like that?" Kitiara couldn't stop herself from asking. Professor Grabiner's eyebrow rose, and her cheeks flushed. "Sorry sir. I'm still not entirely calm."

"I can understand that," he said. "Although in the future, you may want to try sitting or even lying down on a flat surface when doing the calming exercises. It'll be much more effective."

"Yes sir."

"I hereby rescind your detention," Professor Grabiner said, opening his ledger and making a quick note, "as well as 30 demerits."

Kitiara's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "You gave me twenty, sir."

"I am taking away the original ten, as well." He looked up at her. "You have proven yourself to be a capable, if a touch emotional."

"Thank you," Kitiara said in surprise.

"Do not make me regret this," he added. "You may return to class now, if you wish."

"Oh. Er, thanks. I mean… Y-yes." She watched as he nodded deferentially and then turned, sweeping back out of Falcon hall. Damien ducked in almost immediately after, his expression still guilty.

"Are you still angry with me?" He asked quietly.

"No," Kitiara sighed. "Thank you for helping me. Professor Grabiner agreed to let me come back to class, so… That worked out."

"I'm glad." Damien's relief seemed very real.

"So much for an easy morning," Kitiara sighed. "I'm sure I won't get anything done in class."

"Keep your chin up," Damien said. "You're a good student. You can handle it."

Before Kitiara could stop him, Damien reached out and ruffled her hair. She flushed, moved past him, and mumbled something about good-byes and forgiveness. She hadn't forgotten that strange feeling, but she was willing to hope that he was a good person.

Class was as she had assumed. An hour into her lab work, Kitiara was fairly certain that she wasn't learning anything. She was supposed to be attempting either of two beginner spells, and neither of them were working. While no one had said anything to her, probably on threats from Professor Grabiner, she still felt incredibly embarrassed and unable to concentrate. It felt like people were staring at her, though she was positive that they weren't.

All of a sudden, she _definitely_ felt someone's eyes on her. A plummeting feeling in her gut told her that it was Professor Grabiner.

Frustration filled her momentarily, making her even less likely to accomplish anything in class. He had given her praise, had let her know that he was watching her success, and she was letting him down. It was too much pressure.

Kitiara took a seat at the table and closed her eyes. Leaning her elbows on the table, she rubbed her temples in slow circles and took deep, calming breaths.

Damien. Love letter. Embarrassment. Professor Grabiner. Illness. Donald and William. All of it was circling round and round her head, consuming her thoughts and her attention. With each breath in through her nose, Kitiara focused on one thought, brought it to the forefront. With the next breath out, she turned it loose. She had nothing to go off of with any of these thoughts, no facts to solve her fears or problems, and worrying about them was doing her no good. She was well-aware of them, but she wasn't obsessing over them.

Kitiara opened her eyes and put her hand out. An orb of light appeared at the palm of her hand. Struggling for a moment to keep it steady, to keep her mind steady, Kitiara let it float there. Exhaling again, she lowered her hand; the orb did not follow. With her mind, she guided the orb, and it ghosted over to Ellen's table. The blonde haired girl gasped, dropping her hands in surprise as the little orb did a dance around her before coming back to Kitiara. Struggling to keep control and not waver, she wrinkled her face and the orb floated up, settled above her head, and exploded into a shower of little lights that floated around her.

"That wasn't what I wanted," she grumbled, gasping in exertion. Sweat dripped down her forehead and her back, and she realized just how difficult it had been to control the small orb of light for such a small amount of time. In truth, she'd wanted to get the glow to diffuse into her skin so that she was glowing and didn't have to worry about the small light, should she ever be in such a situation to need light.

A soft sound hit her ears, and it grew louder; she realized the other students were clapping, watching her with wide grins and big eyes. The morning's episodic incident was clearly- though momentarily- forgotten. Kitiara blinked in surprise before turning to see Professor Grabiner heading toward her. His face was expressionless.

"Impressive, Miss Kix." Monotonous, without implying what he really felt. "Though in the future you may want to be careful. Over-exerting yourself can cause… Undesirable consequences."

Kitiara could feel herself register somewhere on the surprise scale of emotion. Professor Grabiner had given her some sort of complement, taken her demerits away, and was now acting civil and polite. He could have just yelled at her, as she had really come to expect, for making such a careless decision. She hadn't been certain how much magic it would cost, so it would have been prudent to just cast the spell first to test it out.

"Miss Kix?" Professor Grabiner asked, his eyebrows knitting sightly as he leaned forward to take a better look.

"That- wasn't what I had intended to do," Kitiara said. Her words were difficult to get out, but she managed with a slight shake of her head. "I had meant to- to integrate the light with my- myself." She shook her head again. "I should have just tested the spell f-first. It was reckless."

"Yes it was," Professor Grabiner said, still watching her with that blank expression. She was beginning to think that his facial expressions were much like a mask, hiding what he was really thinking. "Would you like to go to the nurse's office?"

"No, I'm fine," Kitiara assured him. She wasn't entirely sure if she was looking at him, though, as there was a brief moment where there were three of him.

"Then I shall have to forcibly request that you refrain from using magic for the next hour, at least," he said, reprimanding her. "If you do, I will give you demerits, Miss Kix, make no mistake."

"Yes sir," Kitiara said, putting a hand to her head. "You won't have to worry about that." She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples

"Kitiara?"

The brunette looked up to see that Ellen was sitting in front of her, having abandoned her own table. The blonde girl's expression was a little mixed. It looked like a cross from being impressed and worried.

"I'm fine Ellen," Kitiara said, and this time it was the truth. She wasn't feeling as numb or as dizzy as before. "I overextended my abilities a bit."

"How did you do that?" Ellen asked, awed. "That was… Amazing! I haven't learned a single spell yet these two weeks here. How are you learning so quickly?"

"I- I dunno," Kitiara said, smiling wanly. "I guess maybe I'm just… Focusing?"

"I'm trying my hardest to pay attention," Ellen pouted. "I'm focusing as hard as I can."

"Are there any thoughts that are distracting you?" Kitiara pressed.

"Well…" Ellen paused, flushed, and shrugged, not meeting Kitiara's eyes. "I guess. Maybe."

"You can't have anything distracting you at all," Kitiara scolded. "Professor Grabiner showed me a way to calm down, to empty my head," Kitiara explained. "You're sitting across from me right now. Close your eyes, take big deep breaths, and let go of those things that are worrying you." She watched patiently as Ellen complied. After a few minutes of this silent work, Ellen opened her eyes, and they seemed calmer, steadier. Her entire form was relaxed now. "Good," Kitiara said, grinning softly. "Now concentrate on your magic. Really focus. Feel the blue magic within you. Now imagine a light, a physical representation of a light. Concentrate," she added, when Ellen's face scrunched up.

A few moments passed, and a wobbily, unsteady orb appeared right in front of Ellen's face. The blonde-haired girl gasped, and the orb instantly went out.

"I made one!" She squealed. "I did it!"

"You just have to make sure you concentrate," Kitiara laughed. She was feeling much better now, almost as good as new… Although she ached.

"I'm going to try again!" She said, clapping her hands together.

"If you feel tired, Ellen, make sure you stop," Kitiara warned. "It's no good to pass out after working so hard."

"Right! So… I just concentrate, and then…  
"Ellen, you can breathe! Don't stop breathing!"

"Oops! And I almost had it too…"

"Here, try one more time…"

Kitiara ended up having to take the rest of the class off. She tried to cast another light ball and was alarmed when she could feel her bones creaking in response. Sure that it was a near brush with disaster, Kitiara had hastily said that she was still too tired to cast and instead went around helping the other students. Professor Grabiner had raised an eyebrow in suspicion but had said nothing else. Kitiara found herself wondering if Grabiner actually knew about her illness, considering that Potsdam did, but she didn't have a way to test it out. Remembering how incapable of magic she'd been when worrying about things she couldn't do anything about, she quickly discarded the curiosity.

When the class was finally over, she was tired out from walking around and realized that she was definitely bone-weary. They were supposed to meet at the gym right after class for the last day of Initiation, but Kitiara wasn't feeling like she'd make it. She waved Ellen on, insinuating that she'd meet up with her, and in no time at all she was left alone in the classroom.

Cautiously, she cast diagnosis on herself. Just like the first time she'd cast it, she couldn't make heads nor tails of what it meant; just a series of strange colors and waves flaring through her mind that seemed to mean "Kitiara". She let the spell go, disappointed. It may have meant her, but it didn't mean anything to her.

After another moment of sitting and stewing, she quickly got up and walked briskly out the class. She was likely already late for the gym, and hoped that they hadn't gotten started without her. To her relief, the freshman were gathered below the stage, but it didn't seem like anything had happened. She saw Ellen and Virginia waving to her and hurried over to join them, and not a moment too soon.

"FRESHMAN!"

Everyone jumped at the sound of Angela's voice. She'd been the toughest senior of them all, having forced everyone to refer to her as "Lady Angela" and having once cornered Ellen and forced her to continually crouch shorter than the senior until Isobel- another senior with brilliantly green hair- had come to the rescue.

"YOU ARE TOO TALL!" Angela shouted, hands on her hips. She wasn't a very tall senior, which was probably why she was in charge of this particular freshman task. The freshman closest to her hit the floor, and other seniors reigned in, ordering us to the ground. Big Steve cornered Kitiara, Virginia, and Ellen to not only lie flat on the floor, but also on their backs.

"Freshman!" This time, the voice was William's, and he was standing at the podium that Potsdam usually frequented. He was grinning and looking down at all of the Freshman assembled across the floor. "You have successfully survived Initiation week!"

A few dubious groans met those words, and William chuckled into the microphone. He was, within the first two weeks of school, one of the most popular and well-liked students around, and it showed. Despite the groans, most of the students were looking up at the Senior Class President of the year before with respectful, eager gazes.

"My associate here will walk around and hand out blindfolds," William was saying. "You MUST NOT TAKE THEM OFF, under any circumstance!" An order from William was an order obeyed, and everyone stood, eagerly accepting the blindfolds from the strange Snake Hall girl tip-toeing around. She looked like she thought she was a doe.

A few other seniors, including William, came down and began to help, once they realized just how long the girl was taking. It was William who placed the blindfold on first Virginia, then Ellen, and finally Kitiara. He winked as he tied the blindfold around the brunette girl, ignoring her questioning look.

After a few minutes of blind listening, a pair of hands grabbed Kitiara's shoulders and began to turn her around, vastly rupturing her sense of direction.

"Round and round she goes," a girl was sing-songing, "where she stops- nobody knows!"

"Stop!" A familiar voice commanded. "All right, Kittie Kat, step forward."

"Ooooo, what a cute nickname!"

"SHHHH!"

"There you go. All right, a little to the left- No, dear, that's _falling _to the left. There you go."

Kitiara was given instructions like this for a solid ten minutes while she blindly groped about and fearfully stepped as carefully as she could. If she didn't watch it, this could go disastrously.

A stone caught her foot, and with a shriek of terror Kitiara pitched forward.

A pair of hands immediately grabbed her, righting her.

"Don't worry," William's voice said quietly. "I won't let you fall."

Kitiara was suddenly immensely glad that someone knew about her illness, and was simultaneously even guiltier than before about her behavior toward him. She had yet to apologize, and before she could whisper anything back, William was gone.

Kitiara was lead for a few more minutes before gentle hands stopped her.

"Watch your head," a girl's deep voice said, not unkindly. Kitiara suspected it was Isobel, but she couldn't tell. A hand topped the brunette's head, guiding her into what felt and sounded like a van, and then guided her into a seat, where a seatbelt was strapped on. She could hear the voices of a few other students, one of which sounded like Ellen, and felt reassured that she wasn't just being kidnapped.

It was another 15 minutes before the van stopped, and each of the students was guided out of the van very carefully. Kitiara was relieved that William was helping her down. She was beginning to see why Virginia trusted her brother so much; he fit the brotherly role like a tailored glove.

"All right," another familiar voice said teasingly. It was the same as before. "You can take the blindfold off, Kitty Kat!"

Kitiara took the piece of cloth off and found she was right. Damien was standing right before her, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. His large purple wings had stretched fully open in anticipation.

"Where-" Kitiara looked around; she saw sand, beautiful blue water, and tables set up everywhere. Somehow, they were at a beach, and Kitiara was PRETTY sure that there was no beach within fifteen minutes of Iris Academy.

_Magic_, she reminded herself.

"This is a party celebrating all of the freshman," Damien said, grinning widely. "It's a party for you! All the freshman get one," he added teasingly. "The seniors are also supposed to make you a gift, but I'm pretty terrible at making things, so…" He handed Kitiara a small, undecorated box. Nervously, she opened it, and to her immense amusement there was a bar of butter in the box. She laughed aloud, and Damien's face split into a smile.

"I figured you'd understand the concept," he laughed. "So what would you like to do? There's games, there's food, there's beautiful water…"

"Well," Kitiara said, closing up the box, "why can't we do everything?"

"Wonderful idea," Damien beamed, and Kitiara took a look around. Her eye instantly lighted on William, talking to Ellen, and she saw her chance to talk to the blue haired boy.

"I actually need to talk to William for just a moment," Kitiara said apologetically. "It's… Important," she added, when Damien's eyes darkened.

"Of course," he said, though he seemed falsely cheerful now.

Kitiara led the way to Ellen and William, waving to catch their attention. William's eyes likewise darkened perceptively when he saw Damien behind Kitiara, and her sense of unease returned. She shook it off, determined to be polite and cheerful. This was a party, not a funeral.

"Ellen," Kitiara said apologetically, "I'm so sorry. Can I borrow William for just a second?"

"Of course," Ellen said, but to Kitiara's dismay there was a dark flicker in Ellen's eyes. What was up with everyone?

William, having overheard the request, smiled quietly as Kitiara led him away slightly, where no one could hear them.

"I wanted to apologize," Kitiara said after a moment. She kept her eyes downcast. "You… For the other night. You helped me, and you helped me again, and you haven't told anyone…"

"Do the teachers know?" William's face was stern and worried.

"I know Potsdam knows," Kitiara sighed. "I don't know if Grabiner knows."

"Kitiara." She looked up at him fully when he said her name. "As Virgnia's friend, it's my duty to look out for you the way I look out for her." There was an expression in his eyes that said there was more to this than that, but Kitiara didn't ask. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her, and simply keeping her secret had meant the world to him. He wasn't finished, though. "Do you know what's wrong with you?"

"No," Kitiara said, infuriated and frustrated. "I tried using Diagnosis, but…"

"Let me try. I know right now isn't the best time, but maybe I can…" Glancing around to make sure that no one was looking (aside from both Ellen and Damien, who, while trying to make small talk, were both attempting to stare at William and Kitiara without the two noticing and failing most miserably), he splayed one hand out toward Kitiara. Green magic flowed through Kitiara, and a tinge of green light lit up William's eyes.

He frowned, shaking his head in disbelief. The Green Magic subsided, and he tried again. When it dissipated once more, William let his hand drop, confusion coloring his features.

"I have no idea what that means," he confessed.

"I don't either." Kitiara felt mixed about the revelation. She was disappointed that William couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, but she was relieved that it wasn't just her. "All I see are these weird… Colors, in my head."

"Really?" William asked, suddenly interested. "I had numbers."

"Colors and number," Kitiara said quietly to herself. "How weird."

"We'd better go back," William sighed after a moment. "I think Damien's going to develop heat vision if I don't. And Kitiara-"

"I know. Be careful. I've heard it from Virginia." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just disappointed. I promise that I'll be careful around him, William," she said, her tone mollifying. William smiled softly at her, ruffled her hair, and turned to walk back toward Ellen and Damien.

"Hi, Kitty," Ellen said hesitantly, and Kitiara groaned.

"Oh not you too," she said, and Ellen blinked in surprise before realizing what she'd called Kitiara.

"Oops," she said, smiling softly. "I heard Damien call you that. I guess it just… Stuck."

"It always sticks." Kitiara glared at the laughing demon-boy.

"I must admit, it seems to fit," William smirked, and Kitiara went so far as to smack him on the shoulder. He burst out laughing, and Ellen's face grew impassive again.

"I'll talk to you two later," Kitiara said tiredly. "Beautiful bracelet, by the way, Ellen." The brunette pointed to a beaded beauty of a bracelet that spelled out Ellen's name.

The blonde girl lifted it proudly. "William made it for me."

"Damien got me butter," Kitiara said, winking, and Ellen burst out into laughter. William blinked in confusion, and Damien just smirked. They waved good bye, making their way over to the food table.

For the rest of the evening, Kitiara and Damien played team games, ate more than Kitiara ever knew she could, and even swam. At one point they ran into Virginia and Balthasar, and Virginia managed to drag Kitiara away, leaving Damien with the mushroom-obsessed boy. They grabbed Ellen, made their way to a fire pit, and spent the rest of the evening roasting marshmallows, laughing about their first two weeks, and generally bonding. Donald ended up joining them, as did many of the other freshman, and Donald, Luke, and Tyler all led the circle in some generic campfire songs. With the fun of singing and spending time with friends, blissfully unaware of the darkness of the world, Kitiara let thoughts of her failure to make headway with her illness slip away.

She could always think about it some other day.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Probably the shortest chapter to date. I don't think it's the shortest chapter I have... But it might be haha. It's not actually THAT short, but it's still short by my standards haha.

**Disclaimer:** Game is owned by Hanako!

Chapter 7

Kitiara spent the rest of the week in her classes, polishing off her spells. She didn't have any more chances to run into either Damien or William, though Angela seemed to make it her duty to walk wherever freshman were gathered and scream at them, causing them to scatter like pigeons. Virginia was one of the few who would scream right back, and so the red-haired senior ignored Virginia as easily as Virginia ignored her. Kitiara seemed to be the only freshman apart from Ellen who was capable of discerning where Angela was going to be, and easily dodged her.

While she didn't learn any new spells, Kitiara had earned the reputation for being a very fast learner. Her spells were polished, smooth, and barely caused her a sweat by the end of the week. She could cast every single one of them, in a row, and she was only moderately tired.

That weekend, Kitiara received a letter from her parents. She'd been excited, but it seemed that things weren't that exciting back home. The letter was short, saying that they loved her, missed her, and that Alex had been taking care of half of the farm chores while Kitiara was gone. In truth, most of the letter was about Alex, which left a great deal of heart break in Kitiara's chest.

It was almost as if they didn't miss her.

Kitiara wrote a responding letter asking for them to tell her everything, no matter how mundane, and how home sick she was. She wanted them to know that she loved them, and that she always would, and that so far she'd been doing well. She wrote that she hadn't had a single incident (only a white lie) and that she was already feeling better (an outright lie).

After Kitiara had delivered the letter to Professor Potsdam to send out, she instantly headed for the small, secluded grove where she'd seen Virginia and that pink-haired girl, desperately needing the serene beauty of the wooded area and the silence it provided. She didn't want to go to the mall anyway.

Before she could fully reach it, however, Kitiara almost ran into Damien.

"Oh!" She gasped in surprise. "Damien!"

"Oh." His expression was oddly cold.

"What are you up to?" Kitiara asked after a moment of silence.

"Nothing of your concern." Without even waiting for a response, the violet-haired boy pushed past her, his blue Falcon Hall cape swirling around him as he went.

"Told you."

Kitiara turned to see Virginia eyeing the brunette sternly, and Kitiara shrugged.

"If Damien's busy, he's busy," Kitiara said. "I don't care. He can do as he likes."

Feeling sullen, betrayed, and very very lonely, Kitiara moved past Virginia, who made no move to follow her. She had realized that Kitiara was feeling some sort of sadness, and wisely didn't follow her. This was Kitiara's time to rest, to relax, and to try and reign control over her emotions.

No one was forgetting her. Kitiara was _not_ being replaced. It just wasn't conceivable.

She spent Saturday avoiding everyone, and she would have spent most of Sunday doing the same had William not found her sulkily walking toward the alcove.

"Hey, Kitiara!" She turned to see him waving to her, a ball rolling on the floor beside him.

"Hey, William." She lifted her hand halfheartedly, and William abandoned whatever he'd been doing, jogging over to her with a worried expression.

"What's wrong, Kittie?" He asked, cocking his head at her. She raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. "Sorry. It really is much easier to say, you know."

"I can't imagine." Kitiara rolled her eyes. "I guess I'm just… I'm being silly."

"Why?"

"It's not important- I don't want to take up your time William."

"Kitiara."

The brunette turned to see expectant, kind green eyes watching her, waiting.

"Homesick," Kitiara said miserably. She felt like a child. "I've barely heard from my family, and it seems like they're-"

"Forgetting you?" William said gently. Kitiara narrowed her eyes at him.

"How did you know?"

"Kittie…" William gestured to her, and they walked into the alcove that she was beginning to think of as her own. "You remember the Choice… Correct?"

"Well… Yeah," she said, sitting beside Virginia's older brother on a bench. "I mean… It was hard to forget. I had to promise not to tell anyone one of the biggest secrets in my life."

"Yeah, well, that's because mortals can't know about magic."

"Aren't we mortals too?"

"That's beside the point." William shook his head. "If they can't know about magic, what kind of reason are they supposed to have for you coming out here?"

"Well…" Kitiara thought about it. "I guess… They'd have to come up with one. But my parents-"

"Will have to forget."

The sudden implications of the Choice hit her, and Kitiara lifted a hand to cover her mouth. There was a hard lump in her throat all of the complications that this could cause raced through her head.

"But if they have to forget…"

"Based on what kind relationship you had," William said slowly, "they'll come up with a story. If you didn't get along with your parents, they might think they sent you away."

"And if we got along?"

"Well… They might think they sent you away to help you."

"I was always a burden."

William blinked in surprise.

"Kittie, that's not-"

"William, you know exactly what I'm talking about." Kitiara turned calm brown eyes on him, big and steady. "I know I was a burden. We owned a farm. I couldn't handle some of the chores. Just lifting a pitchfork once broke my arm."

"Kittie-"

"It's fine." Kitiara looked forward, and her expression was thoughtful. "If I can cure myself, I could return. Look out for myself. Help."

"Kittie…"

"My friends used to call me that." Kitiara looked at him ruefully. "I don't even know what they're doing. I haven't heard from them, haven't heard about them."

"Listen to me." Green eyes bored into brown eyes. "Kitiara, I know they had to have loved you as much as they could. I… Virginia was born prematurely."

Kitiara blinked in shock. William didn't seem to notice and continued talking.

"Because of it, there were a few times when she… Had to go to the hospital. She almost died… A lot."

"But- your family is magical."

"With babies, it doesn't work that way. A sick baby can't be healed with Green Magic the way a grown person could. There's just something stopping it from working right."

"So…"

"Virginia's always been weak," William said softly. "Neither she nor Donald know this. She wasn't physically weak… Some bugs she catches easier than others, and they're more likely to be dangerous."

"So that's why…"

"I know what it's like for the people around you, Kitiara." William took a deep breath. "And I know they love you."

"But the Choice-"

"Just means that it's harder for them to think about you."

Kitiara put her face in her hands and rubbed it, hard.

"This is a mess."

"Is it still worth it?" William asked quietly. "It is possible for you to give this world up and return to yours. The damage isn't permanent…"

Kitiara heard the unspoken word at the end of the statement and smiled ruefully at him.

"Yet," she finished for him. "You mean yet."

"Yes," William said gravely. "Your Choice is still an option for you, Kittie."

"Maybe if I was normal," Kitiar said, shaking her head. "I'd just end up going home and being more of a burden than ever. At least whatever I learn here I can use in my future to make me less of a bother."

"You are not-"

"I can't even run without the fear of falling on my face and breaking every bone in my body," Kitiara said bitterly. "I can't kick anything, I can't play sports, I can't run or jump or just walk without thinking about the implications. Do you know how hard that was three years ago? I was the clutziest person in school!" She threw her hands up in the air. "It was a wonder I ever got the grades I did, what with how many times I was sent to the hospital. No, I can't return to that life," she added in an undertone. "I can never return to that life."

"I understand," William said, and he gave the small brunette girl a squeeze around her shoulders. "If you ever need someone to talk to…"

"I know," Kitiara said, smiling a watery smile at him. "Thank you."

"And Kitiara, please…"

"I'll look out for Virginia," the brunette said. "I promise I won't tell her or Donald, either. Trust me, I know what the price of naievety is worth."

"Thank you." He hugged Kitiara tightly before standing and stretching. Kitiara followed suit, finding that she somehow felt better. Now that she knew where she stood, and knew exactly what was happening and what she was giving up, she felt more serene, more capable.

"Why don't you and Damien get along?" She suddenly asked, as she followed William out of the small alocove. He winced, then smiled grimacingly at her.

"Just don't trust him, okay?" He muttered. "He's not what he appears to be."

"It appears like he's bi-polar."

"He probably is. Two-faced is another thing he might be."

"I have a feeling that you have a great deal of nicknames for Damien, and 'two-faced' is the kindest of them."

"I would never," William said mockingly, placing a hand on his chest and pretending that her words had wounded him. Kitiara laughed, throwing her head back with the force of it. It felt good to be so light-weight again.

"What are you up to?" Kitiara watched as William approached the small red ball that he'd been working with, before she'd interrupted him.

"Watch." He whipped out a thin brown wand and waved it at the red ball, which floated smoothly into the air, rolled over a few times, and then floated over and around Kitiara. She laughed admiringly.

"That's brilliant!" She said. "Do you think I could pull it off?"

"Why not try and see," William said, and he grabbed the ball. Kitiara readied her hands- wands, she'd learned, weren't necessary BUT were used as focusing tools for one's magic- and when William tossed the ball at her, she focused her magic at the ball.

It stopped in midair, floating right in front of her face, and she concentrated. It didn't move, but shuddered slightly before falling to the ground.

"Shoot," she said, frowning.

"It takes tons of practice," William said, jogging over and re-collecting the ball. "Remember, Kittie, I'm a senior. You aren't expected to know everything."

"Right," the brunette chuckled. "I suppose I should remind myself of that whenever something goes wrong."

"Definitely." William laughed, and Kitiara gave him one last hug.

"Thanks for distracting me, William," she said, smiling up at him. "You make a very good brother."

"At least some people think so," William said ruefully. He shook his head at Kitiara's questioning look and waved her on. "You go enjoy your Sunday. I'm going to stay here and practice some more."

"Sure," Kitiara said hesitantly. She abruptly decided that it wasn't important for her to know, smiled up at him reassuringly, and turned to walk back to her dorm. William watched her go, his face clouding with the worry he'd been holding back while they'd talked.

Her sickness hadn't felt anything like what Virginia's felt like. Virginia's was solid, and it wasn't always present. She was a healthy girl but for certain sicknesses, like the common cold. Kitiara was something else; it was a near constant suffering that felt like it WAS her, like he was trying to diagnose her soul- or even her magic.

William made a mental note to see Professor Potsdam before tossing the ball into the air once again.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Come on, Guys. I'm uploading this document from the past, but seriously! Where're all my reviews?! I need them to SURVIVE! This story contains my blood and TEARS! TTOTT

**Disclaimer:** Again, owned by Hanako.

Chapter 8

The next day, Monday the 23rd, Professor Potsdam showed up outside their dorm room while the girls were still getting ready.

"Hello my little ducklings," she twittered, "here's your schedules for the exam this Friday!"

"Exam?" Kitiara said apprehensively, but Potsdam just turned and flowered off. While Kitiara was sure that "flowered" was not an actual adjective or verb, it seemed to fit the flowery woman perfectly. She pranced about exactly how Kitiara would imagine a flower would.

"Oh no," Kitiara heard Ellen moan from within the dorm room. "Exams!"

"Ah, it'll be fine," Virginia said, waving flippantly as Kitiara closed the door and re-entered the room. "William says that the exams aren't too tough, as long as you've been paying attention in your classes."

"But…" Ellen fidgeted with her cloak, her brown eyes wide with worry and nerves. "What if-"

"Don't think about what if's," Kitiara scolded. "Remember what I showed you in Grabiner's class. You have to let that stuff go, or it'll cloud your mind and distract you from your magic."

"I know," Ellen whined, now wringing her hands. "But I don't want to fail!"

"Then study hard for the rest of the week," Kitiara said.

It was easier to manage than either of them had thought. Virginia went straight through the week with no complaints, just her usual, bubbly self. She had no worries whatsoever. Kitiara had to calm Ellen down twice in their Blue class, and Ellen almost managed to turn a desk into a permanent lantern. While Professor Grabiner was not pleased, he let Kitiara handle Ellen, and Ellen finally managed to get control of herself and her magic.

From Monday to Friday, Kitiara was on another learning streak. In her Red class, she learned warm, which Professor Grabiner himself helped her figure out. She was able to warm just herself, and then the rest of the classroom by the end of the four hours.

In her Blue class, she learned Farsight, and was able to see her dorm from inside her classroom. It was definitely a weird sensation, which Grabiner had explained might be akin to something like Lucid Dreaming. Kitiara could feel her body in the classroom, could see the classroom around her, but she was also seeing and feeling herself walking around her dorm room. It was very bizzarre, and after she had cast it a few times she had to quit. It was too disconcerting.

In her Green Class, Kitiara learned Track Scent. Luke, one of the blue-haired twins that Donald always hung around with, offered to run a gambit for Kitiara to try and follow. With Potsdam's permission, Kitiara was locked in a broom closet for a few minutes while Luke went and hid somewhere. As soon as Potsdam had the okay (using a farspeak spell), Kitiara managed to trace Luke's path from the classroom to where he was hiding in the girl's bathroom in Butterfly Hall. Besides earning a detention on Luke's behalf (which Donald crowed over proudly), Potsdam was impressed with how quickly Kitiara had picked the spell up.

While in the class for Black Magic, Kitiara learned Inspection. Professor Potsdam (showing no recognition that Kitiara's learning so many spells within the week was anything but normal, thereby affecting the other students' outlook on it) enchanted a random desk in the room. Kitiara, who had been standing outside while Potsdam did it, had to use Inspection on every desk until she found the one that Potsdam had enchanted. When she found it, the desk turned into a swan statue, and the students all clapped in awe and appreciation.

Kitiara was feeling slightly apprehensive about her White Magic class on Friday, as the spirit she'd seen many times had unnerved her a great deal. It worked out fine, however, as she learned Tap The Flow, which allowed her to draw energy from the magical world to recharge herself. She spent the hour after learning it casting as many spells as she could, and when Kitiara cast Tap the flow, for a brief moment she could see the spirit that she'd seen before. It was standing beside her, and it reached out its arms- almost as if it were giving her its own energy, of its own free will. Incredibly unnerved, Kitiara was fit not to use the spell again, but Potsdam insisted. Fortunately, the brunette didn't see the spirit the second time, but she wondered what the first time had meant.

After her class, Kitiara returned to her room. She was scheduled to take her exam in about 30 minutes, and after checking her map and preparing as best she could (as well as topping up her magical energy), Kitiara headed to the classroom on her tiny slip of paper.

Just as she pushed the door open, her eyes seemed to glaze over, as if something were pressing on them. She went to rub them, couldn't move, and before she could panic Kitiara found herself teleported into a dungeon.

Blinking, she looked around and found that she was surrounded by four tall walls that stood above her, penning her into the small, tiny cobbled square.

"Welcome to your first exam," a voice said, and Kitiara recognized it as Grabiner's lilting, disdainful british accent. "The exit is through the wall in front of you. You are to use raw energy to try and get to the exit."

Kitiara waited a moment, but nothing else was forthcoming, so she thought about what she could do.

Red magic could probably blast through the wall and show the staircase. Black magic could just meld the stone away and show the exit. Blue magic could teleport her out. She couldn't think of any way that Green or White Magic could help.

Tilting her head for a moment, she let the Blue magic course through her, feeling as if it were spiraling through her veins, and saw where she wanted to go very clearly in her mind. Teleportation was generally supposed to be used for short distances only, and Kitiara had no way of knowing where she was. But if the Professors could teleport her here without any problem- despite their being much older, professional magicians- then perhaps Kitiara could too. She pictured the outter quad of Iris Academy.

There was a flash of Blue light, and Kitiara realized belatedly that she hadn't been specific enough in where she wanted to be teleported. Too late, she felt the horrifying heart-lurching moment of falling. Before it could be too bad, she gently struck the branches of a tree.

Opening her eyes, she could hear someone running to the tree.

"Are you okay?"

Kitiara let her head fall backward and saw that both Professor Potsdam and Donald- of all people- standing there looking at her in alarm. They were upside down, but definitely alarmed.

"I didn't hit the tree too hard," Kitiara grunted. "I may need some help."

"Of course, chickadee," Potsdam said, and with a wave of her hand the branches of the tree twisted her around and gently placed the fragile girl on the ground.

Kitiara did a mental checkover of her body. Nothing ached, nothing broken.

"I'm okay," she said, relieved. To be honest, she was incredibly surprised to see Donald standing before her. Since that incident two weeks ago, Donald had been avoiding Kitiara, barely looking her in the eye. Now that she was definitely out of harm's way, he had gone back to being off-handedly uninterested.

"All right," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I'm leaving then. Good job."

"Are you certain you're all right?" Potsdam asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Kitiara said distractedly. She wondered if Donald's disinterest had anything to do with Virginia's own secret weakness. Kitiara guessed that if Donald was in fact unaware of Virginia's physical dangers, he probably didn't appreciate William's sudden interest in Kitiara. It was probably very similar to his interest in Virginia.

"Well, you definitely passed," Potsdam was saying. Kitiara looked at her open, smiling face and grinned in response. No use fretting over it now, with nothing to do in the way of fixing it.

"That's a relief," Kitiara laughed.

"I must say, you seem to have a rare attraction to trees."

"Or they have an attraction to me. I guess it's a good thing, or I'd be much worst off."

"Very good point. Try to avoid landing in the branches the next time you teleport, dear."

"No worries there," Kitiara said, and with a chuckle she began heading back to her dorm room.

Virginia and Ellen were already there, waiting.

"How'd you do?" Virginia instantly demanded, all wide smiles and grins.

"I teleported myself out," Kitiara said, and Ellen stood up to high five her.

"Me too," she laughed.

"I'm sure you didn't wind up in a tree," Kitiara pointed out, and Virginia burst into laughter as Ellen gasped in worry.

"Are you okay?" She asked, and Kitiara nodded with a grin.

"Takes more than that to hurt me." Emotionally, at least. Physically, it didn't take much.

"I blew up the wall," Virginia said proudly. "Grabby said it wasn't very imaginative, but I thought it was great fun."

"You would," Kitiara laughed. "Anyone else in an insanse rage for food right now?"

"Three guesses that Virginia is?"

"Oh LORD I never thought you'd ask. Come on, slow pokes!"

"Virginia, slow down, you're going to- THERE'S A DOOR- Ouch…"

"Oh God, I'm so sorry Virginia!"  
"Isobel, it's okay, she's probably just lost most of the information she learned this week. It wasn't like she was going to retain it anyway."

"What does that mean?!"  
"Catch up and we'll tell you!"

"No one can outrun ME!"

Kitiara laughed as she ran, Ellen jogging behind her. As much fun as she was having, there was still a portion of her mind that was dedicated to cautiously examining everything as she ran past it. She couldn't afford to just let her attention go.

Still… Kitiara wouldn't have given these memories up for the world. She wished she'd thought of hiding her weakness years ago. If only things were that simple.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/n:** Thank you to Rachel Scavo for pinting out a potentially confusing thing in my story as for how fast kitiara is learning her spells, just pretend I've opened up python command prompt for now. Kitiara is definitely abnormal in how fast she learns, make no mistake!

Chapter 9

Kitiara, Ellen, and Virginia were leaving the bus together (dressed as normal teenage girls incognito) the next Saturday morning. Virginia had won the argument by saying that after an exam, one should not study. One should celebrate!

As they headed into the cafeteria, William waved them over, and to their immense surprise and delight there was a giant cookie sitting on the table waiting for them.

"You guys should definitely celebrate passing your exam," he said. "Since none of you have detention, I'm assuming you all passed, right?"

"Yes indeedy!" Virginia squealed.

"Remember to actually taste the cookie, V," William laughed. He portioned out the cookie and handed each of the girls a slice, ruffling their hair. He looked pointedly at Kitiara.

"I heard you fell into a tree," he said. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Kitiara said, covering her mouth as she chewed on the deliciously warm, soft cookie. It was chocolate chip, which in Kitiara's world was the ONLY real cookie. "It was an accident. Potsdam got me down."

"Good." He looked relieved, though Kitiara didn't miss the look that Ellen shot her when she thought the brunette wasn't looking. Kitiara would have to find a way to handle this problem, but until then she wasn't sure what to do.

On Tuesday of that week, Kitiara arrived back at her dorm to find Virginia and Ellen already there and waiting for her.

"Kix," Virginia immediately said as soon as Kitiara had walked through the door. "Are you going to run for Treasurer?"

"What?" Kitiara asked, a little off-guard.

"You know, for student council," the red haired girl said impatiently. "Are you going to run for Treasurer?"

"I… Hadn't thought about it," Kitiara said dubiously. "I guess I could?"

"Good. The more people running against Suki, the better."

"Um… Suki?"

"She's a girl from Snake House," Ellen explained. "Virginia's trying to get as many people running against her as possible."

"She's WEIRD," Virginia complained. "The girl is in her own little world."

"Isn't that a prerequisite for Snake House?"

"Not the point." Virginia waved her hand dismissively at Kitiara, who'd only been half joking. "You should run!"

"Not because I'd be good for the position or anything," Kitiara grinned, "but because you don't want Suki to win."

"Exactly."

"I think you'd be good for it," Ellen said, smiling softly. "You take charge of things really easily. You're also really responsible."

Kitiara tilted her head for a moment, thinking.

"You know what?" She said after a moment. "Why not? I never ran for office the first three years of High School. I kinda want to see what the fuss is about."

"Yes!" Virginia pumped the air. "Kix, I'm going to make sure you have the best campaign planner around! Time to go spread the word!" With that, she went racing out the door, Ellen and Kitiara looked after her in bewilderment, looked back at each other, and shrugged. Kitiara sat down on her bed, pulling her notebook to study and practice her spells.

The week passed with little to no incident, and Kitiara was beginning to feel tradition in the making. She went to class, worked hard, came back to her dorm room and joined Virginia and Ellen as they went to the cafeteria. Her spell repertoire was growing steadily, and she continued to learn spells daily. When the weekend came around, Kitiara finally made a trip to the mall. It was a difficult choice; if she got a wand, she could really strengthen and even hone her magical powers. However, she _really_ wanted a new book. She'd been bemoaning the mistake of forgetting to bring any with her.

Kitiara was standing in the middle of the mall, staring at first her wallet and then her small list of books that she wanted to buy.

"Having trouble, Miss Kix?"

Kitiara looked up to see a disdainful Grabiner looking down at her. It seemed that he was always looking at something or someone that he didn't like, and she was beginning to take less and less offense from it.

"I can't decide on what I should buy," she said, bighting her lip and looking back at her list.

"Well, what is it that you want more?" He sounded impatient, though she hadn't asked for his help. Kitiara wasn't even sure he was talking to her; her concept on his attitude toward her was difficult to understand. It seemed the more she accomplished the more he was trying to find wrong with her work.

"Well… If I buy a…" She stopped, looked up and stared intently around her before finally making a swishing motion with her hand, mimicking a wand. Professor Grabiner snorted before carefully recomposing his face, and Kitiara continued. "If I buy one, I could be stronger. More focused. But…"

"But?"

"I left all of my favorite books at home, and I'm DYING for a good read."

"Oh?" Professor Grabiner raised an eyebrow at her, and for a moment his impatience had disappeared. "Well, if it assists you in any way, Miss Kix, I do not believe that you need a wand."

"Um, should you-"

"No worries, Miss Kix. I have the skill to disguise our words."

"Oh."

"As I was saying. I do not believe you have need for a wand. You seem very skilled as it is."

She couldn't believe her ears. Was that… A compliment?

"Tha-"

"I personally recommend Jules Verne," he interrupted, clearly not wanting to remain on the idea of compliments. "Personally, I find his prose to be very stimulating."

"I haven't read any of his works in a while," she said thoughtfully. Kitiara stood for a couple more minutes before finally deciding that he was right. A book was much more important than a wand at the moment, and he was right- she was handling her magic well.

"I think you're right," Kitiara said, looking up- but Professor Grabiner had left. She blinked for a moment, trying to remember if he said good bye and she had just imagined it. Shrugging, she headed straight for the book story and did exactly as he had suggested. However, as she was walking back up to the register of the small bookstore, she noticed that the one copy of the collection of H. P. Lovecraft's stories was no longer there. She absently figured that someone must have beaten her to it and let the thought fade.

Kitiara spent the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday reading the book she'd gotten, tucked away in the little alcove. There was a light breeze that played with her hair as she turned the pages, and she felt comfortable, happy, and serene, the most she'd felt for the past five weeks- or ever, if she was being honest. She could definitely see this turning into a nice little habit.

When Kitiara returned to her dorm room, she was surprised to find Ellen there. The blonde-haired girl was looking out the window with a forlorn expression on her face, and she hadn't yet noticed Kitiara enter. Following the girl's gaze, Kitiara realized that Ellen was watching William, who was outside practicing magic again.

Embarassed, Kitiara quietly walked back out the door, then opened it more loudly, hoping to alert Ellen to her presence this time. Jumping, Ellen looked up, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Oh! U-um, hi Kitiara!" She said breathlessly.

"Hi Ellen," Kitiara smiled. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, just th-thinking," Ellen said hurriedly. "You?"

"I spent most of today outside, reading." Kitiara lifted the Jules Verne book up so that Ellen could see for herself.

"Oooo, that's wonderful," Ellen smiled. "When did you get that?"

"Yesterday. Professor Grabiner suggested it."

"Wow." Ellen shook her head. "I can't tell if he likes you or if he hates you. Sometimes it seems like the Professor goes out of his way to single you out."

"I'm not even trying to figure that out anymore," Kitiara said, rolling her eyes. "I figure he's still miffed about me running into him on the first day."

"Probably."

"So what else did you do today?"

Ellen turned to look back out the window, sighing softly.

"William helped me figure out a really difficult spell. The one I couldn't figure out in our Blue Magic class."

"Really?" Kitiara sat down on Virginia's bed, across from Ellen. "How did that go?"

"Oh, it went great," Ellen gushed. "I can do the spell like nothing now. William is so sweet."

"Really?" Kitiara said, smiling slowly. "Ellen- do you _like_ William?"

A squeak of dismay left Ellen's mouth, and she instantly grabbed her pillow, burying her face in it.

Kitiara laughed. "I'll take that as a yes!"

"Oh…" Ellen threw her pillow back down. "It's just… Yes… Maybe… I do like him!" She put her face in her hands. "He's so sweet, and smart, and kind, and understanding. He was so protective of me during initiation, but…"

"But what?" Kitiara asked kindly.

"I know he doesn't like me," Ellen wailed.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm almost positive that he likes _you!_"

Ah. And now it was coming to a head.

Carefully, Kitiara kept her face composed. She just knew that that wasn't the case at all. Kitiara could say, with out a doubt, that William did not think of her in that way. How she knew, she couldn't be sure, but she knew.

"He doesn't like me like that," Kitiara said gently, when Ellen finally looked up at her.

"How can you be so sure?" Ellen said bitingly, throwing Kitiara's words back at her.

"He's called me his sister," Kitiara said. It wasn't exactly a lie. He had alluded as much. "I'm pretty sure that's called friend-zoning, or something like that."

"I… I guess." Ellen looked like she was afraid to hope. "But… How could he like someone like me?" She pushed her blonde hair back in frustration. "I'm so bland, so plain and… Well, look at me!" Her hands waved in the general direction of herself.

"I see nothing wrong."

"I'm so… I'm not nearly as attractive as you or Virginia," Ellen wailed.

"I'm not attractive," Kitiara snorted, but Ellen's expression stopped her short. She quickly changed the line of fire. "Ellen, you are a brilliant, beautiful girl with a strong head and a heart full of learning. Who wouldn't want to date you?"

"I… What should I do?" She said, biting her lip.

"You should let him know," Kitiara said simply. Ellen's eyes widened in horror, and Kitiara hastened to explain. "I had a friend named George back home. He was so afraid to tell this girl that he loved her… What he thought about her… He's had to sit through her being with someone else at least three times in their lives, and every time he just says 'Next time…'." Kitiara shook her head, thinking of poor George and oblivious Rachel. "He was so sad, so lonely. He loved her so much, they were best friends, and he was scared to lose her that he never really tried to have her…"

"I think I understand." Kitiara looked up to see that Ellen was looking at her hands. "I don't want to chase William away, but…"

"You won't," Kitiara said, smiling. "But if you never tell him… You'll never know, and it will haunt you forever."

"I think you're right." Ellen rubbed her face. "I just… No, you're right. I have no excuse."

"Atta girl," Kitiara smiled. "Now, if only Virginia would hurry over, maybe we could get dinner!"

Ellen laughed appreciatively, and the tension between them dissipated.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **In case anyone is curious, I have no idea why some of the chapter heads are larger than others. I often write this on different computers, so I think it's just a formatting difference. Also, excitement and adorableness in this chapter! Oh, Kittie.

**I just remembered that my usual paragraph breaks- a double space essentially denoting the passage of time- don't translate over here i will be fixing that soon sorry for any awkward paragraph weirdness!**

Chapter 10

During the next week, aside from learning yet more spells and working hard to perfect them, Kitiara was interrupted in her studying by a knock on the door. When she answered it, she was shocked to see that Professor Grabiner was standing outside.

"Apologies for bothering you, Miss Kix," he said, looking coldly down at her. "I see that you would like to run for Treasurer this year."

"Y-yes," Kitiara said, tilting her head nervously. "Is that okay?"

"Of course," he said, and Kitiara got the impression that he was trying not to roll his eyes. "You can meet me tomorrow in the teacher's lounge, and we will discuss your campaign. Here is the booklet that will explain your possible future duties to you." He handed her the biggest "booklet" Kitiara had ever seen, and before she could say anything (or get past her shock at how thick it was), he whirled around and stalked off. Kitiara attempted to flip through it, but it was far too thick and ungainly. To Virginia's and Ellen's immense amusement, she spent most of the day just waggling it in their faces, causing them to burst out laughing.

The next day, Kitiara walked into the teacher's lounge a touch apprehensively. Grabiner's moods with her were so incredibly bipolar- one minute calling on her when he knew she couldn't possibly know the answer, the next giving her strange dead-pan compliments- that she couldn't be sure what to expect.

He was seated at the table, a book open on the table in front of him. It was rather thick, and it lay flat on the table, so she couldn't see the cover. He looked up at the sound of her entering the room, and gently closed the book, pushing it to the side.

"Miss Kix," he said disdainfully. "I don't suppose you've given any thought to how you will campain?"

"Well…" She sat down as carefully as she could manage. She'd been notorious for hurting herself in middle and high school by misjudging where the chair was, and now was not the time to miss. "I was thinking I'd need a good campaigning name, to set me apart.

"Very true," Grabiner nodded curtly. "You can always go with the names that others have used before, such as 'The Dragon', 'New Hope'…"

"Lady Lampshade Head," Kitiara giggled, and Professor Grabiner's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. She sobered up very quickly. "Just kidding."

"While I won't force you to, such a moniker might keep the other students from taking you as seriously."

"Well… We can always return to that in a minute." Kitiara shrugged. "I should give that more thought. Something that important should take more than a few minutes of thought."

"I suppose so." The corner of the teacher's mouth quirked up momentarily, and he returned to his impassive self. "Assuming that that is the moniker you have chosen, how would you like to run the campaign? Which articles of propaganda were you thinking on using?"

"Well…" 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea had only been a fantastic price of $5, having been a classic, and she had $20 left to spend after this latest weekend. "I have $20 to spend," she said, calculating costs. "What are my options?"

"Here is the list," Grabiner said, sliding the paper toward her. Kitiara pulled it toward her, scanning the paper and making more mental calculations. She unconsciously read aloud.

"Posters for $5… Badges for $3, both of those are affordable… Ah." She grimaced. "Cupcakes are $30 and- goodness." She stared in shock at the last item. "$90 for some fancy cupcakes?!"

"Those have rarely ever been bought," Grabiner smirked.

"I'm sure…" She scanned the list again, then lifted her head, biting her lip. "Can we make requests?"

"Like what?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Chocolate covered strawberries."

"That is… Different."

"But delicious," she added, and Professor Grabiner gave her a strange look. Thinking he was making fun of her, she rolled her shoulders in defense. "Well they are. They are literally the fastest way to any sane girl's heart."

Professor Grabiner let out a surprising bark of laughter, causing Kitiara to blink. Realizing what she'd said, she let out a chirp of laughter as well.

"I suppose that could be true," he smirked. He seemed to realize that he'd shown more emotion than he had ever shown before, and his face resumed its careful mask. "I'll go ask Petunia- Professor Potsdam- if this is a possibility. Stay here," he added.

"Of course."

It was barely two minutes after he'd left that William, of all people, appeared in the room.

"Hey, Kittie," he said, smiling. She grinned up at him and returned the hug he aimed at her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked curiously.

"Virginia said you'd been stuck with Professor Grabiner," he said, green eyes twinkling at her. "I said you'd be able to manage by yourself, but she insisted that I come and take over your campaign."

"I can handle myself," Kitiara snorted.

"That's what I said." William laughed. "Professor Grabiner didn't even look all that angry when I passed him. You must work miracles, Kittie Kat."

"Would you quit calling me that? Last thing I need is everyone around school calling me that."

"Are you kidding? You should make that your campaign slogan. You'd win in a heart beat."

"Good heavens, no."

"If you say so," William chuckled. "Have you thought of anything else?"

"No, but I'll think of something," she said defensively. "And I don't need any help, William. I don't want people to think I'm cheating, using you as some sort of… Cheat Manager."

William let out a bark of laughter, throwing his head back like Kitiara was wont to do. His green eyes were sparkling as he looked back at her teasingly. "Are you sure that you just don't want some time alone with Grabiner?"

Kitiara smacked his arm, and he laughed again good-naturedly. "Just a suggestion," he chuckled.

"He's a very experienced teacher," Kitiara scolded. "He deserves more respect than he gets."

William eyed her curiously before grinning and shrugging.

"Whatever you say, Kittie Kat."

"Is that the campaign name you've decided on?"

They turned to see Grabiner standing in the doorway, looking with disinterest at William and Kitiara.

"No-"

"Yes," William said, and Grabiner's eyebrows raised.

"William-"

"Trust me," he said, turning green eyes on the small girl. "You'll win with that campaign name."

"There is no way- You can't agree with him," Kitiara said exasperatedly, turning to face Professor Grabiner.

"I hardly think my opinion is worth anything."

"Of course it is," Kitiara said, sounding as if he had insulted her instead of himself. "You're my Professor. You're in charge of my campaign."

"I think perhaps Mr. Danson might be more appropriate."

"That would be cheating," Kitiara said dismissively. "I want to win through my own wit and skill, and you've seen many students do just that- or fail through ineptitude. I'd like your advice," she added frankly, and Professor Grabiner eyed her oddly again.

"Kitty Kat," William said quietly, and Kitiara smacked him on the shoulder again, causing him to laugh.

"I have to agree with Mr. Danson, then," Professor Grabiner said after a moment. Kitara's jaw nearly unhinged in her horror and shock. "Your name does have a certain… Similarity to the term 'kitty cat'. You should use it."

"You've got to be joking," Kitiara grumbled.

"No I am not," Grabiner said, moving to sit at the table now that that had been resolved. He eyed her pointedly before adding, "And I would highly advise against hitting me."

Kitiara snorted.

"I also think that you should except Mr. Danson's assistance, although I am certainly… Willing to help." Professor Grabiner folded his hands, and Kitiara nearly missed a very pointed grin from William. She nearly smacked him again, but reigned herself in.

"What did Professor Potsdam say?" She asked instead, ignoring the older boy's teasing expression.

"She said she had no qualms with the addition to the list of chocolate covered strawberries," Grabiner said, and William let out a whistle of admiration.

"That was a good idea," he said, sounding impressed. "Smooth thinking, Professor.  
"That was actually Miss Kix's idea."

"I was just thinking with my stomach," she said, blushing.

"That's the way to win any campaign."

"How much will the strawberries be?" Kitiara asked curiously.

"$20 exactly."

"Yes," she said, grinning widely.

"Excellent," William said, leaning on the table with his hands splayed across the tabletop. "So I was thinking, when we do the campaign…

The next day, Kitiara had received all of her supplies, and she was heading determinedly to the courtyard after class, Virginia and Ellen in tow.

"So William said you were really eager to work with Professor Grabiner," Virginia hedged while they were setting up. Kitiara gave her a confused look.

"So?"

"So," Virginia said, elbowing Kitiara in the side with a wide, shit-eating grin on her face, "do you _like_ him?"

"Well, he a good Professor-"

"No!" Virginia threw her hands up exasperatedly. "Do you LIKE LIKE him?" Ellen snorted as she set the stall up where they would be handing out extra posters and badges.

Kitiara stopped short. She actually didn't know what it felt like to "like" anyone; she'd never had a chance to have a crush on anyone. The only boy she'd ever really known had been George, and he'd been head over heels in love with Rachel and most certainly not an option. William was the second boy she'd ever gotten to know, but that was easily dismissed. She did NOT see him in that light and never would.

So what did it mean to like someone in that way?

"Kix?" Virginia had turned to look at Kitiara curiously, having realized that the girl was no longer moving and had the most confused expression on her face. She suddenly looked incredibly self-conscious.

"Oh, er, n-nothing," she said hurriedly, grabbing a stack of papers.

"You do like him," Ellen gasped, having turned to look at Kitiara's face.

"No," Kitiara said hurriedly. "I mean, I don't think I do."

"'Think'?" Virginia echoed, her face incredulous.

"Um."

"Well?" Virginia demanded. It was Ellen who caught on to Kitiara's uneasy silence.

"You've never liked anyone before, have you?" She asked, blinking in shock at Kitiara. The brunette's cheeks immediately flamed rosy red, and she grabbed a box of badges and started rummaging pointlessly through it.

"That's ridiculous," Virginia snorted. "Of course she has. Right, Kix?"

Kitiara didn't answer.

"You're joking. You've never-"

"No, I haven't," she said, exasperated. "Is it that important? I've never really thought about it, and I've never really needed anyone. It just wasn't… Important. Besides, I never knew anyone that was even an option."

"William-"

"Is like a brother," Kitiara said pointedly to Ellen. Virginia just nodded in agreement, clearly missing the silent exchange between Ellen and Kitiara. "He was never an option for me."

"Who's not an option?" They turned to see William approaching him. Behind the blue-haired teen several other students were beginning to set up; some of them were nearly done, practicing what they were going to do to get attention.

"Kitiara's never liked a boy," Virginia immediately said, as if she were tattling.

"Virginia!"

"Seriously?" William said, eyes wide as he turned to look in surprise at Kitiara. "A pretty thing like you? You can't seriously mean you've never had a boyfriend, Kittie."

"No," Kitiara said, dropping a stack of papers onto the stand. She was annoyed. "I don't see why it's such a big deal."

"It's mostly surprising," William said soothingly. "Like I said, you're pretty. Boys should be flocking to you. What about Professor-"

"I do NOT have feelings for my Professor," Kitiara snapped, dropping one of the many boxes of chocolate covered strawberries onto the stand. "That is pointless and a waste of energy. He'd never return the feeling!"

"So you're denying it not because you don't have feelings, but because it's improbable."

"I'm sure I don't like him!"

"Not 100%, Kix?"

"Oh for- Yes. I'm POSITIVE I don't. I don't even know what it feels like to like someone. No one has ever been interested in me," she added pointedly at William. "Not before Iris Academy, and most likely not while I'm at Iris. I am nothing special."

"Except for today," Virginia announced. "Today, you are the very special Miss Kittie Kat, to be elected for Treasurer!"  
"Oh man," Kitiara groaned. "That sounds so stupid."

"It sounds adorable!" Ellen said shyly. "I think it fits you."

"I am not a cat."

"Oh, the students are coming," William said, the first to see the milling masses. "Get into position."

"You got it," Ellen said, pulling a thin wooden wand that she'd bought from the mall out from her sleeve. Kitiara stood in the very middle of the stand, flanked by posters, badges, and chocolate covered strawberries. She was suddenly all nerves, and she glanced around to see the other students preparing to enslave the attentions of the masses.

"Oh man, I can't do this," she said, fidgeting.

"Professor Grabiner would sure be impressed…"

Kitiara smacked a snickering Virginia on the arm.

And then they were working, and Kitiara's fears melted away, a familiar feeling to her. She was always nervous leading up to the point of spotlight, but once she was properly in the light she was like a professional performer.

Kitiara had worked with Ellen on the Light spell, and Ellen was now shooting tiny fireworks into the air to grab attention. Virginia was handing out a combination of posters and badges, and William was calling to passersby and handing out chocolate covered strawberries. If they'd been intrigued by William's presence at Kitiara's side, the strawberries cemented it.

Kitiara, however, felt like she was missing something.

"Miss Kittie Kat for Treasurer!" Ellen was shouting.

"Why should I vote for her?" Kitiara turned to see that the voice was Luke's. "Strawberries and posters are all good and stuff, but what about who she IS?"

On an impulse, Kitiara struck up a wide grin and leaned over.

"Because," she said, "Free Hugs!" Before the blue haired twin could object, she quickly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, letting go a second later.

Shock was written across his features before Luke blushed, mumbled that he'd vote for her, and then ran off.

"Smooth," William said, impressed.

"Free hugs!" Kitiara called out, and the pink-haired fairy that she'd once seen Virginia talking to appeared. She belatedly recalled that the fairy's name was Pastel.

"Did I hear someone say 'free hugs'?" she grinned.

"Don't even think about it," Virginia said, holding Kitiara back. "You don't want to hug her, Kix. She's a pedo."

"You wound me," Pastel gasped, throwing her hand to her heart. Her eyes, however, were glittering in amusement and she winked at Kitiara. "I expect to receive my free hug at a later date." Waggling her fingers at them, she sauntered away, revealing a line forming in front of Kitiara for "free hugs".

"That worked better than I thought it would," she said in shock. The first in the line was Isobel, a green-haired student well known for her kindness to the freshman.

"I know I'm not a freshman," she smiled, "but can I get a free hug?"

"Anyone can have a hug." Kitiara opened her arms and hugged the taller junior around her waist. She had come to like Isobel, who had shown herself to be a very kind, protective upper classman.

By the time she'd left, the line was twice as long, and Kitiara let out a long breath.

"Miss Kittie Kat for Treasurer!" Virginia called. A few freshman waved ecstatically to William, who handed out chocolate covered strawberries.

"Politics," Kitiara thought to herself, "are definitely all about being Popular."

When election day came, Kitiara was beside herself with nerves. She was wringing her hands by the stage, listening to the upperclassman give their speeches and praying that they would give her some good ideas. At Iris Academy students were only allowed to vote for the students in their year, so it didn't make much of a difference if Kitiara listened to their speeches or not… However, she was incredibly nervous, so she stayed anyway.

Elections were taking place after classes, and as Kitiara paced by the stage, listening intently, she nearly ran into Professor Grabiner again. Fortunately she'd been paying mild attention to her surroundings and had stopped short before doing so.

"Good reflexes, Miss Kix," he said wryly.

"Last thing I need it to get demerits on election day," Kitiara grinned.

"Seems like a pretty generic year." Professor Grabiner looked up thoughtfully at the Sophomores currently giving speeches. "Nothing out of the ordinary or special. I would speak my heart during your speech, Miss Kix, and remember to keep it short."

"I'm worried that they won't like me," she said absently, watching the crowd. "What if they don't clap?" There had been two students who had had the horrible awkwardness to receive absolutely no applause after their speech.

"I doubt that that will be the case, Miss Kix."

Kitiara turned to see him watching her. His face remained impassive.

"But still…"

"Then you should make the most of it," he said. "The crowd loves humor, always. Turn an awkward moment into a joke. That seems something that you're quite capable of."

What was that supposed to mean? Was that a compliment?

"Um…" She frowned, trying to work that out, and Professor Grabiner sniffed, almost smiling to himself.

"That was a compliment, Miss Kix. I wish you luck." He ducked his head at her, turned, and stalked off. Kitiara watched him go, completely bewildered. More than one compliment in so many days? What was the world coming to?

Virginia's teasing suddenly returned unbidden to her mind, and Kitiara shook her head violently back and fourth. It wasn't important. She did not have feelings for her Professor.

When the Freshman speeches came up, the crowd seemed to swell. Some of the seniors- including William and, to Kitiara's surprise, Damien- had decided to stay and watch. Virginia and Ellen waved to Kitiara from the audience, and Kitiara waved back, feeling sick.

She had to admit that she was glad that she wasn't running against Minnie. The girl was obviously the crowd favorite, and she seemed incredibly driven to become the freshman President. The crowd roared with approval, and Kitiara's stomach dropped.

Suki walked up to make a speech for treasurer, and Kitiara had to admit that Virginia was right. The girl was incredibly spacey. She spent half of the speech talking about how she would get the spirits to assist her in managing the school's biggest problems. A few people clapped, but mostly, the crowd just looked confused.

Kitiara realized she was next, and as she walked up on stage she heard William shout "Whoo! Kittie Kat!"

More whistles broke out, and suddenly the entire crowd was chanting "Kittie Kat" while she walked up to the podium.

She was going to have to buy William the biggest cookie she could afford the minute she had extra money available.

"Thank you!" She said, beaming at the crowd. The quieted down, watching her eagerly. "My name is Kitiara Kix, though you all know me as Miss Kittie Kat!" Another round of cheers. "I take my candidacy very seriously! I intend to be sure that while tradition is reinforced, new experiences are added to that tradition! A vote for me is a vote for a job taken seriously, and- of course- FREE HUGS!"

Everyone burst into laughter, cheers, and a round of applause that almost rivaled Minnie's. Almost.

Kitiara walked off stage feeling as if the worst of it was over. The whole thing was out of her hands, and she watched with a sort of vague attention as the other students went up and gave their speeches. It wasn't that she was no longer interested. Kitiara was mostly just happy that it was finally over.

When it came time to vote, several classrooms were opened for voting boxes where a student bubbled in who they wanted to vote for a slipped the paper into a box. Everything was, of course, magically protected and completely guarded against cheating. Just to be fair, Kitiara voted for Jacob when she filled out her ballot. She had actually kind of liked his speech… When she'd been paying attention to it.

Professor Potsdam gathered first the senior class, then the junior class, the sophomore class, and finally the freshman class so that each got to see their new council members. When the freshman filed in, Kitiara could see William watching from a doorway. Next to him was Professor Grabiner, who appeared to be bored out of his mind.

"Hello Freshman!" Professor Potsdam crowed. "I would like to thank each of the students who ran for council this year! It was a most invigorating candidacy, and I had a great deal of fun watching it. Your Freshman class President will be- Minnie Cochran!"

Rowdy applause and loud whistles rent the air, and Minnie waved from the stage as she walked up to stand beside Professor Potsdam.

"Your Treasurer will be…" Here Potsdam paused, and Kitiara felt herself squirming. "Kitiara Kix!"

She nearly tripped on her way up the stairs, much to the amusement of the audience. Everyone clapped and whistled for her as loudly as they had for Minnie.

"I hope you both have a good year in office," Professor Potsdam was saying. "May you treat all of your experiences with an open heart!"

What kind of advice was that? Kitiara tried to piece this one together, but the onslaught of William, Virginia, and Ellen distracted her, and she let it go.

"Congratulations!" Ellen said, clapping her hands together. "You won!"

"Thanks to you guys and some chocolate strawberries," Kitiara giggled. "Did we have any of those left? I could SO go for some."

"Nah, they were gone within the first hour of campaigning," William said, smiling.

"I owe you all the biggest cookie ever," Kitiara giggled. "You guys are the best."

"You're darn tootin'," Virginia hollered, grinning widely. She probably would have used a slightly more vulgar phrase, but Professor Potsdam was standing nearby, and she was known for handing out demerits to those with slightly more colorful vocabulary.

"Congratulations, Miss Kix," Professor Grabiner said from behind them. He had joined them on stage as the crowd below began dissipating. "I shall see you tomorrow at 6 am to explain to you your duties."

"6 AM?!" Virginia gasped, her expression horrified.

"I handle the allowances," Kitiara chuckled. "So yes, 6 am."

"I'm glad that you read the booklet."

"More like… Skimmed." Kitiara chuckled again. Professor Grabiner seemed to roll his eyes, and he nodded to her.

"See you in class, Miss Kix. Stay out of trouble."

"Thank you sir," she called after him, and watched the tall man leave the gym. She had a feeling that he cared more about the students than he let on.

"You SO like him," a quiet, teasing voice whispered in Kitiara's ear, and the brunette whirled around, her face bright red as she nearly chased after Virginia in an attempt to smack the grin off of her face.

"Do not," Kitiara called heatedly as Virginia laughed at her from ten feet away. Ellen giggled in response and walked away, William behind her, heading to the cafeteria. After a moment of exasperated deliberation, Kitiara followed, glad to have such close friends.

Still… She wondered how her friends back home would have handled all of this.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **I'm pretty sure THIS is actually the shortest chapter yet.

Chapter 11

Waking up at 6 wasn't really as horrible as Virginia had imagined it would be. Kitiara had woken up at 5 almost every single morning when she lived on the farm, and while living at Iris Academy had made her somewhat rusty to waking up early, it wasn't too difficult to slip back into the habit.

She walked along the dark hallway, enjoying the early morning quiet and solitude. Iris Academy seemed so peaceful at this time of day, when no one was awake.

Professor Grabiner was seated in the Teacher's lounge, reading his book again as if he'd been waiting for her to show for hours. Which she doubted, considering it was actually 5:45.

"Good morning, sir," Kitiara said, smiling at him as she sat across from him. A neat stack of empty envelopes had been set up, as well as a neat stack of five dollar bills.

"Good Morning Miss Kix." He seemed back to normal, his expression cold and tired. "What do you have there?"

Kitiara looked at the book tucked under her arm.

"Jules Verne," Kitiara explained, setting the book to the side. "I was going to go read after this."

"Are your studies up to standard?"

"Yes sir. I am allowed to have some free time," she added with a smile. He sniffed at her and gestured to the two stacks beside her.

"The two stacks will only have as many envelopes as there are students here. As soon as you have filled the last envelope, the stacks will disappear. I trust you know not to try and steal?"

Kitiara fixed him with a glare, and he seemed to almost smile in response.

"Well then, Miss Kix. I'll leave you to it." He stood up, tucked his book under his arm, and left.

The work was tedious but simple, and Kitiara did it quickly. There was no way to hurt herself in this instance, and she was therefore able to do it with great ease.

Afterward, she quickly ran through the four halls, but stopped when she realized that she didn't know how many students there were to a dorm. Before she could panic, three envelopes pulled themselves from the pack in her hands and flew beneath the door.

Thus relieved of her worries, Kitiara went about her business and finished before it even hit 8 am. She was greeted by Isobel, who was also apparently an early riser.

"Good morning, Kitten," Isobel called. Kitiara didn't even bother getting annoyed. The nicknames had gotten out of control on account of the campaign, and she'd already anticipated the further diminished used of her full name.

"Morning Isobel," she said, waving. She left the last three envelopes (retrieving her own after it flew under the door), noted that both Ellen and Virginia were still asleep, and then made her way eagerly to her favorite alcove. She had truly come to look forward to her reading days, and while she lamented the fact that she was a fast reader, she would gladly just sit here once the book was finished. Mostly she just lamented the fact that their allowances were so small.

While Kitiara was reading, her legs tucked beneath her and the book floating in front of her (she had decided to practice some raw Blue Magic and had successfully gotten the book to float in a static position right where she could easily read it and flip the pages), she heard someone approaching. Looking up, she saw- to her shock- that it was Damien. With her concentration somewhat skewed, the book plopped out of the air and landed in her lap, fortunately still open to the same page.

"Hey," Damien said quietly, walking toward her. He stopped a few feet away, his expression awkward.

Kitiara didn't answer, still too surprised. She hadn't thought that he, of all people, would want to talk to her.

"I know, you're angry with me." His face was carefully composed, and he seemed anxious. "I was rude to you. I know this. I just- I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you that… I'm sorry."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kitiara asked quietly. "Which one of you is the real one, Damien? The one who's a good friend, or the one who can push people away so easily?"

"I wish I could explain." Damien threw his hands up, his mask cracking. "All I know is that I wanted to stay away from you. To avoid getting close to you. But you're so different from everyone else!"

_If you only knew_, Kitiara thought to herself.

"That sounds unoriginal," she said instead, crossing her arms. "Why should I listen to you? You pushed me away so easily!"

"I just… I can't tell you," he said, and he moved quickly to kneel in front of her. Damien's violet eyes bored into her brown ones, and she felt that same, original feeling of unease.

"Damien…"

"I can't let people get close to me," Damien said quietly. "But with you, I'm willing to try."

The feeling of unease grew, and Kitiara had to blink. The world around her was skewing, and for a moment, she saw Damien standing a few feet away from her, talking to a blurry outline. She couldn't make out who it was.

"I want to trust you," Damien was saying, and she could see very easily that this vision of him- she had no doubt that it was a vision- was saying the exact same thing. The world slid back into focus, and Kitiara was sitting on the bench, looking at the demon kneeling before her.

"I…"

In his eyes, she saw a world of need… But it wasn't so much for her.

Kitiara didn't know what was going on, but she knew she couldn't trust Damien. The old saying said that you should keep your enemies closer than your friends, but Kitiara was wary of even that much.

"I'm sorry Damien," she said quietly. "It's going to take more than words to make me trust you."

A flash of anger and fury flashed so quickly through Damien's violet eyes that Kitiara couldn't be sure that she hadn't imagined it, and then Damien was standing, staring away from her.

"I guess I was wrong," he said bitterly. "You're just like everyone else."

"Hang on-"

Kitiara's words went unanswered, and Damien flipped around and stalked away.

Holding the book tightly with her fingers, Kitiara felt deeply that she had been in the right… But part of her still felt so wrong.

Disturbed, she spent the rest of her Sunday just sitting and thinking, absently playing with a tiny ball of light that played across her fingers.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Where have you BEEN in Gym?" Virginia asked one day after class. Kitiara cringed. She'd been doing an excellent job of avoiding the class, but Virginia had apparently been snooping around enough to learn that Kitiara had not attended a single gym class.

"Well, I-"

"You're taking gym tomorrow with me."

"Now wait just a second, I already set up my-"

"You can change them really easily." Virginia grabbed Kitiara's notebook and tapped 'Gym' class, instead of White class. Kitiara ground her teeth in frustration. She could not actually think of an excuse for why she couldn't do gym.

"There," Virginia said, thrusting it back into Kitiara's hands.

"You do need to make sure you exercise," Ellen called over.

Kitiara let out a breath and silently prayed to whoever was listening.

As it was, the next day did not dawn with thunder, clouds, and rain, and Kitiara headed to the gym as the only gloomy mark on the day. She walked into gym wearing the (perfectly clean) gym clothes that all of the students were required to wear. After all, there was nothing more dangerous than running around in an ankle-long robe.

Kitiara tried to hide in the corner, but Virginia very easily picked the brunette out and dragged her to the court.

"So," Virginia was saying, "we're all trying to figure out a game to play. Any suggestions?"

"Well…" Kitiara started thinking fast, and a memory from when she was in Middle School came to the forefront. "There was this one game."

"Promising," Virginia said, prompting her to continue.  
"We called it… Nerds."

"Um… Seriously?"

"Just listen! Have you ever played capture the flag?" A few students were beginning to gather around Kitiara curiously, interested in playing a fun game.

"No, what's that?" Virginia asked. Collective gasps came from most of the Wildseeds present.

"That," Ellen said quietly, "is the greatest shame ever."

"Okay," Kitiara said, thinking fast, "I'm just going to explain Nerds. For those of you who know Capture the Flag, this isn't MUCH different.

"There are two teams, and every person has flags attached to their waist. Removable flags," she added. "Each team also has a goal and a goalie, who isn't wearing a flag. This goalie is protecting 10 small objects from the other team, who is trying to steal them. Each player can only steal one at a time."

"Why?" A student asked.

"Because it's no fun if you take more than one," she explained patiently. "The longer the game, the better."

"How do you stop the other team?" Another student demanded.

"By pulling the other team's flags," Kitiara said. "If a tag is pulled while someone has the other team's object, that object is automatically returned- and no one can counter that," she added. "Meaning, if someone is carrying the ball back to their side, no one can pull their flag to stop them. They're safe."

"Where's the magic in the game?"

"It's a Wildseed game," Kitiara said, shrugging. "I'd need some time to figure out how to involve magic, but it would greatly upset the game. For now, no magic." A few groans met this. "Trust me," Kitiara assured, "the game is amazing fun. Although it might be more fun outside," she added.

"We can do that," a senior student said. "How should we set up the teams?"

"How about seniors and sophomores against freshman and juniors?" Ellen piped up.

"That's an excellent idea," Kitiara said, and dove for the kill. "And I can play referee."

"Nice try Kix. You're playing with us."

That was honestly the fastest that Kitiara's hopes had ever been dashed.

"But-"

"Okay," Virginia said, ignoring Kitiara's complaints. "Everyone go grab the supplies. I know there's some flag belts in one of the closets- I always wondered what those were for… Hey you, grab some big orange cone things. We can use those to mark off the goals. And maybe tie some rags together for the balls…"

Kitiara let out a dejected sigh as she realized she'd inadvertently made things worst. Wracking her brain for ideas, Kitiara was forced to admit that things looked grin. She'd just have to be quick on the heal.

"You'll be fine," a voice behind her said, and Kitiara- letting out an undignified squawk of surprise- turned to see William smiling at her. She hadn't even seen him once this entire class period.

"When did you get here?" She asked, blinking.

"I tend to stick to the back when I'm here," William said, smiling. "My friends get it into their heads that I need exercise as well, but they usually leave off once I'm actually here. I guess Virginia would be a bit more of a stickler."

"No kidding." Kitiara rubbed her face.

"Just trust me," William said, winking at her and grinning wider. "You'll be all right, kiddo. You have me and Donald here!"

"Donald? To be honest, I kinda got the impression that he doesn't want to help me."

"It's not that… Or I guess, it's not you." William grimaced and rubbed his neck. "Just remember what I told you."

"Ah." Kitiara took a deep breath as the students began filing out into the big field right outside the gym, which was located at the back of Iris Academy. It must have been normal to play big games like this, once upon a time.

With four cones set up marking first two goals at opposite ends of the massive field and then the boundaries of the game, everyone began putting the flag belts around their waists. William- despite being a senior- lingered near Kitiara, although he managed to make it look less obvious.

When ten tied up rags had been placed in each goal respectively and the students were going to their side of the field, William passed a hand over Kitiara. A wave of green magic suddenly flew through her veins- and she felt stronger than she ever had.

Kitiara knew what spell William had used. "Boos strength" was supposed to boost your strength (hence the name) to epic proportions, allowing you to be tougher, tankier, faster and stronger. Kitiara had always supposed it would just make her like everyone else… But if this was how everyone else felt, than Kitiara was beginning to realize just how ill her body really was. She'd been used to the frailty; now, she was beginning to realize just how frail and easily broken her body was capable of being.

Grateful but unnerved, she nodded her thanks to William and caught Donald's eye. The boy stared at her for a few moments before looking away, dismissing her entirely. Kitiara didn't know much, but she knew that Donald was definitely not happy with her.

"All right!" Isobel- who'd also happened to have Gym today but had steadfastly refused at joining in, and was therefore acting as referee- stood at the center of the field. "Remember! Pull your opponent's flag. You cannot touch a player returning a goal point to their own goal, and that person must walk back. You can guard people. Play a nice, MAGIC FREE game. Any magic users will be OUT for fifteen minutes!"

Looking around at everyone as if daring them to try and break her rules, her eyes fell on Kitiara for a moment. They suddenly flicked to William's, and Kitiara got the feeling that Isobel must know about the Boost Strength spell. There was a moment of silence, and Isobel brought a whistle to her mouth, backtracking off of the field and past the boundaries. As soon as she crossed, she blew the whistle-

And chaos opened up on the field. Students were running at each other, yelling and screaming and roaring battle cries, and Kitiara confined herself to a corner. Despite the spell William had cast- which would last for a few minutes, depending on the strength of the caster- she was weary to just jump in.

A junior suddenly appeared near the goal, and Kitiara- the only person close to the goal and capable of doing anything about it- bit her lip. The junior had managed to quickly sneak behind the goalie- Virginia- and was about to grab a ball of rags.

Darting in with ridiculous speed (she hadn't been lying when she'd told Virginia that she'd been an ace at track), she ripped the flag from the senior's waist. He stared in shock before he grudgingly crouched, just outside the goal. By then, Luke and Logan had seen the junior attempt to steal, and they positioned themselves on either side, waiting for one of his teammates to get him back in the game so they could chase them off.

Kitiara returned warily to her corner, watching everyone running around and almost tackle each other. Far off across the field, she saw Isobel pulling Jacob off the field for illegal use of magic. He looked outraged, but he followed her without much protest.

The game continued in such a fashion that Kitiara ended up playing goalie protector, and William would run by every now and then to renew his Boost Strength spell. He always knew exactly when it was wearing off, though Kitiara was beginning to find it difficult to know for herself. It was getting easy to mistake adrenaline for the Boost Magic spell, and she was getting careless.

After chasing off a few more brave souls from Virginia's goal, Kitiara saw Luke and Logan sprinting full pelt across the field. It seemed that both of the twins had made a grab for the rags of the enemies' goal and were making a dash for their own goal. A massive gaggle of juniors and seniors were just out of reach behind them, and the twins were laughing at the top of their lungs.

Kitiara raced in and managed to pick off a few of the more dangerous seniors and juniors, yanking flags and darting out of the way like a lithe cat. Luke and Logan managed to dump their possessions into the goal, Virginia whooping and yanking the flags of seniors trying to jump in and take advantage of the opening.

Sprinting away and laughing, Kitiara's carefulness and unease melted away, and she fully entered the game.

Across the field, William was watching Kitiara laugh and dance around, her face brighter than he'd ever seen it. She seemed to glow with energy, and it wasn't just his boost spell. The ability to be carefree, to not have to worry, was doing wonders for her. It was a shame that the spell couldn't last forever.

It worried him that his spell did in fact just bring her up to normalcy. He'd had to tentatively explain the need for the spell to Isobel, who had cast Magic Sight in order to play referee. She'd agreed that it was strange that the spell had brought Kitiara up to normal strength… Instead of over-boosting her, as it should have.

AS William was contemplating this and pulling the flags of freshman ever so distractedly, a very smug, defiant demon entered his vision. Damien.

"Damien," William said as stiffly and as politely as he could manage.

"Why hello, William," Damien said, smiling wide. His eyes glittered. "Why so serious? You hardly seem in the game."

"None of your business," William snapped, and Damien chuckled darkly.

"Oh, but you are my business," the boy purred, waving a hand through his long, lush hair. "Everyone at this school is my business… Especially a certain, small brunette."

"Leave her alone!" William snarled, his attention completely wrapped around Damien.

"Oh she fights me now," Damien continued, looking at his fingernails, "but trust me, when I really start my charms… She won't know what hit her. And then… She'll be completely at my whim."

"Damien, I'm warning you," William growled, his eyes narrowing. A few freshman nearby backed away from the seniors, their eyes wide. No one had ever seen William so furious.

"You're so sweet to treat her like she's your sister," Damien drawled. "I'll have to make sure to teach her to hate you. I'll make her my loyal, wildseed _pet_."

"THAT'S IT, YOU DEMON SPAWN!" William roared and took off after Damien- who was actually on the same team as him- and Damien, laughing darkly, danced away, always beyond the senior's reach.

Enraged as he was, William did not notice when his Boost Strength spell had fallen… And neither did the adrenaline-filled Kitiara.

She was completely wrapped up in the game, racing back and forth, tapping her team mates and darting around seniors and juniors like an otter in water. No one could catch the lithe Kitiara, who had always been known for her incredible fluidity while running. Dancing and darting, Kitiara made a dash for the goal, grabbing a ball of rags and darting off. This time, Luke and Logan were the ones playing guard, and Kitiara was sprinting back to her goal, laughing and reveling in the feel of the wind in her face. God she had missed running.

She had dropped the ball in the goal and sprinted past, seniors hot on her heels. Luke and Logan managed to get out, and Donald had darted in, almost as lithe as Kitiara herself. He picked off a few of Kitiara's chasers, and Kitiara doubled back to get Luke and Logan back into the game. With their help, they took down the gaggle of seniors chasing Kitiara.

"Whoo!" Kitiara cheered, completely intoxicated with adrenaline and the rush of running.

"Kitiara-" Donald tried to say, and she slapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks for the save, Donald," she gushed, her brown eyes big with excitement. "I'm going to shoot for another one!"

"Wait, Kitiara-" Donald tried again, but the brunette was off. Donald had seen his brother lose concentration- even now he was still chasing after that blasted demon, off in his own world as always. Grinding his teeth, Donald raced after Kitiara, trying to keep her in his sights… But she was too fast.

A gaggle of seniors darted in front of him, and Donald was momentarily distracted. He took them down with ease, but he could no longer find Kitiara.

He looked around, feeling apprehensive. Everywhere he looked students were running, every which way, tumbling over each other and laughing. It was horrifying all of a sudden, all of this chaos and running, and for a moment it looked like war to Donald.

Donald turned again, his head spinning as he tried to locate the brunette girl, and there was a lull in the students. He saw her on the floor, crumpled, her hair in her face- a face that was contorted in pain and fear. Her legs were both twisted and mangled, and fortunately no one had yet noticed.

Sprinting over to her, Donald called his green magic to the fore, concentrating his mind and pooling all of his magic. He had no idea what it would take to heal Kitiara, but it definitely wouldn't be cheap.

He knelt beside her, and half-crazed eyes stared balefully up at him.

"I-I fell," she gasped. "Donald-" tears slid down her face. "Please, make it stop. It hurts."

Donald suddenly understood why William had asked his younger brother- pleaded almost- to look after Kitiara. The absolute broken, heart-rendering pain in her eyes, the desperation and mindless fear- Donald felt his insides squeeze, and he swallowed, laying his hands gently on the girl's legs.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the green magic out, and Kitiara gasped. Colors burst in his mind, and Donald felt his magic being drawn out of him- he was positive it shouldn't take this much magic to heal broken bones.

It was only a few seconds, but Donald was sweating by the time he was released, pale and exhausted. He teetered to the side, and Kitiara caught him, the two of them an island in a sea of students unseeing and uncaring. It was as if Kitiara's desperation not to be seen by anyone else was affecting the world around them.

"Donald," Kitiara whispered, her brown eyes full of regret and- and guilt. "I'm so sorry."

"No," Donald gasped. "I'm sorry." He looked at her. "I didn't realize. I'm sorry."

"It's my fault," Kitiara said bitterly, standing and pulling the boy after her. His strength was slowly returning, but he felt… Drained. "I should have known better."

Before Donald could say anything, Kitiara slowly walked back across the field, staring at the floor and carefully picking her way across it. She resumed her lonely position in the corner, this time steering clear from anyone who came close, and Donald felt something inside him twist again. The loneliness that Kitiara must be feeling, knowing that she couldn't join in…

Fury replaced that thick sadness, and Donald turned to look with cold, unmitigated anger at his brother, who was still chasing the demon Damien. The blue-skinned boy must have bated William, and while Donald himself didn't know what had happened between the two seniors he knew that William should have had better control over his emotions. He shouldn't have been so easily bated.

Without saying anything, Donald took up position near Kitiara. He didn't look at her, but he felt the grateful look she shot him, and spent the rest of the game making sure no one got close enough to cause any damage to her. While Donald didn't know the Boost Strength spell, he did know heal, and he wasn't going to let the brunette girl suffer any more than she had to today.

William was toweling off furiously in the locker room, his thoughts still wrapped around the blue-skinned demon. As he pulled his robe back on, someone slammed his locker shut with an immense amount of fury. Whirling around and expecting Damien, William was shocked to see his younger brother looking up at him.

"You ass!" Donald snapped, his eyes sparking with barely suppressed anger.

"Donald-" William blinked. He'd never seen his younger brother so furious.

"While you were gallivanting about with Fancy Pants Demon Boy out there," Donald snarled, "your spell wore off."

"My-"

"Your Boost spell, dammit!" Donald pounded the locked next to William, and the blue haired senior had a horrible sinking feeling.

"Oh God-"

"Yeah," Donald said sarcastically. "'Oh God'. William, she broke BOTH OF HER LEGS!"

William just stared in rising horror and guilt.

"Donald-"

"No," the boy said, shaking his head. "Don't apologize to me. Do you know that it takes my entire store of magic to heal her? That can't be normal, but WHATEVER. You're off chasing pretty boys and getting bated. I thought you were better than that," Donald said, disgusted.

"Don't start lecturing me on paying attention," William said hotly, but Donald just snorted derisively.

"Who else is going to pay attention?" He snarled. "Certainly not you. You're a PROFESSIONAL at ignoring people.  
Leaving that statement in the air, Donald whirled around and stalked out of the locker room, the air rippling with suppressed power behind him.

William sat on the bench and put his face in his hands.

Donald was right. He really was the King of Ignoring people when they truly needed him, and he'd really fucked up this time.

Unbeknownst to either of the boys, Damien had been standing on the other side of the lockers, listening with an intense stillness that could be replicated by no one but a Demon. He listened intently, realizing early on that they were both talking about Kitiara.

William had cast a spell on the girl? But Isobel would have pulled the senior off the field in seconds if he had. Unless… Kitiara somehow needed the spell to function. He hadn't seen her doing any death defying leaps, and she hadn't been _terribly_ faster than what was considered normal.

So what did it all mean? And why was it so bad that William hadn't been paying attention?

Damien waited until William had shuffled out of the locker room, his entire form the expression of defeat and failure, and the demon's interest was further piqued.

This could bear following, he thought to himself.

Rubbing his hands, he left the locker room, his thoughts whirling around and around.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** This chapter is weird for me. Also, I have not been as thankful to my reviewers as I'd like to be, mostly because these chapters were all pre-loaded onto Fanfiction and I couldn't edit them from my tablet.

_**THANK YOU.**_

I have received a great deal of WONDERFUL reviews that have made me smile, happy, and just generally excited that you all love my darling Kitiara as much as I do. I apologize dearly for not updating; I have been having financial hell and just problems in general.

But like I was saying- this chapter is... Odd. I needed both of the events in this marginally short chapter to happen, but it just seemed... Weird pacing. I wasn't sure how to fix, so I left it- apologies if you get the weirdness that I get. Still, they are very important events.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 13

Kitiara woke up Saturday morning and left her dorm bright and early to head for the teacher's lounge. As soon as she opened her door, however, she was shocked to see that there was a bouquet of sunflowers on the floor, waiting and complete with a card.

Lifting it up, she saw that the card said "Kitiara- I'm so sorry. I understand if you're upset with my actions earlier this week in Gym. I am ashamed of my lack of attention. –William"

Kitiara stared at the card a moment before closing her eyes and sighing sadly. She had known that William had been distracted; she'd seen him chasing after Damien, but had been so caught up in the adrenaline of being _free_ that the implications hadn't caught up to her.

Kitiara didn't blame William. She also hadn't missed his hangdog expression and how absolutely miserable he'd seemed. No one had missed that; Virginia and Ellen had been going out of their minds trying to figure out what it was. Virginia seemed adamant that it wasn't a girl; Ellen was positive that it was unrequited love.

Kitiara hadn't known what to do.

An idea suddenly came to her, and she smiled, running back into the room and grabbing some sparkly letterhead that she reserved for ABSOLUTE emergencies. She scribbled a small letter across it, grinning at her own brilliance, and held it up to examine it.

"Will- Stop being such a big lummox! I don't blame you, big brother. I had a little brother to look out for me too, thanks to you! See? Still got my back even when you think you don't. Now stop being sad and start being glad! –Kitiara"

She winced. It was the cheesiest thing she'd ever read OR written, but it worked, and she quickly grabbed the sunflowers, arranged them on a desk beside the window near her bed, and ran out the door. She was late, and if she wanted to get everything out before people woke up she'd have to work double time.

When Kitiara ran into the teacher's lounge, she found Professor Grabiner sitting there, going through the letters himself. He raised an eyebrow at her expectantly.

"Sorry," she gasped. "Don't do that! I've got it." She raced forward, plopped down in her chair, and furiously began going through the letters and labels. As soon as she got to William's, she very carefully slipped the card into the envelope.

"Ah," Professor Grabiner said, leaning back as if what she'd done solved everything and found the solution distasteful. He sniffed. "You and your… Love letters."

Kitiara immediately burned scarlet and started stammering harder than she'd ever stammered in her life.

"N-n-n-no," she said, shaking her beet-red face back and forth comically. "It's- I mean, I-I-I was j-just- he's a b-b-brother! He thought he'd u-u-upset me, and I wanted to m-m-make sure that- I m-mean… Oh." She took a deep breath, ignoring her Professor's completely bemused and patient expression.

"I understand," he said when it seemed she had thoroughly finished putting her foot in her mouth. "He feels that he has somehow transgressed upon you, and you are only trying to make things right again."

"Exactly," Kitiara breathed explosively, relief evident on her face. "I wouldn't know how to write a real love letter if it was an assignment."

"Something I am afraid I'm going to have to agree with, Miss Kix."

"Hey. That wasn't a serious one. It was a request for my Senior, okay? It wasn't heartfelt at all."

"Of course, Miss Kix."

Kitiara rolled her eyes as she realized that Professor Grabiner- in his own monotonous way- was teasing her. His face suddenly froze over, and he stood, gathering his things as if he were suddenly uninterested with her company.

"I trust you can handle the rest of the day, Miss Kix."

"Um," Kitiara said, hurriedly grabbing a fistful of envelopes and quickly stuffing them with the allowances. "Yes. I mean, yes I can."

"Then I shall leave you. Good day." He had scarcely said the words before he was gone.

Kitiara sighed, wondering what she'd said this time. One minute it seemed like she was beginning to get along with her professor and the next, it was like the first day of school all over again.

Virginia's taunting suddenly rang through her mind, and flushing madly Kitiara started stuffing envelopes faster, muttering under her breath.

She was finished with her duty in record time, which actually meant that she was on time considering how much time she had wasted. She sprinted past the rooms, watching the letters wiz off under the doors, and when the last one was gone Kitiara finally let out a gust of breath.

She had just turned to return to her room when she saw another brunette girl walking toward her. Kitiara recognized her as Minnie, the girl who'd won the role and duty of President. Minnie was waving at Kitiara, a smile on her face.

"Kitiara!" the girl called, smiling widely.

"Hello Minnie," Kitiara said, walking toward the girl curiously.

"I just wanted to introduce myself," Minnie explained. "Well- formally. As your Freshman President. That way we know each other."

"It's nice to officially meet you," Kitiara laughed.

"It is," Minnie agreed with a smile. "That Nerds game was a lot of fun. The students are excited to play it again during the next gym class."

"Good to hear," Kitiara said, and she felt a pang of jealousy. How she wished that she could play and run with them.

"I also wanted to let you know that I'm opening a group study session in the library on Saturdays," Minnie explained. "Anyone who needs help in their studies is entirely welcome to come and receive some."

"That sounds wonderful," Kitiara replied warmly. "I'll be sure to keep it in mind."

"Now if you'll excuse me," Minnie said, and with a little wave she turned and skipped off. Kitiara watched her for a moment before heading to her room, where she picked up her book- Virginia and Ellen had already left by this time- and went out to the garden. Kitiara wasn't particularly excited about going to the mall this weekend, and she still felt… Lonely. She felt sad. No mail had come in for her today, and she was beginning to think that the folks back home had indeed forgotten her.

Kitiara had scarcely sat down on her bench when she noticed that there was another student in her little garden. He was pacing back and forth, and muttering under his breath, completely distraught over something.

"Um…" Kitiara leaned forward, and the boy's head snapped up, turning to look in her direction.

"I didn't know someone else was here," he said coolly, and Kitiara recognized him from one of her classes as a boy named Kyo. He had dark blue hair, and unnaturally wide eyes. It seemed that half the time he was judging the world around him silently… But cruelly.

"I'm sorry," Kitiara said, standing and feeling awkward. "Would you like me to- I mean… What's wrong?"

"Well…" Kyo hesitated before approaching Kitiara. "You're a girl. You might be able to help."

Kitiara nearly rolled her eyes at that- that was originally how she and George had met, oh so long ago.

"I'll see what I can do," Kitiara said, sitting back down and making room for the blue haired boy.

"I have… This friend," he said, sitting. "He has a crush on this super amazing girl. But she doesn't even know he exists! What should I-he, what should he do?" He blinked hard at Kitiara.

"Well…" Kitiara pondered that for a moment. "You could always give her gifts and compliments."

"Gifts?"

"Like cuddly things. Soft things, cute things. Talk to her, and listen to her," Kitiara added. "Girls like to be listened to. Just… Make yourself known to her."

"I see…" Kyo pondered for a moment before jumping up. "I get what I should do now. I'll buy her stuff!"

"Well, not just tha-"

"Thanks, Kittie," Kyo said distractedly. "I'm going to go before the mall closes."

Kitiara rolled her eyes, leaning back as she watched Kyo dart off. Boys never listened.

* * *

He hadn't been gone for more than twenty minutes when none-other than Damien appeared, walking leisurely around the corner. He smiled benignly at her, walking over calmly and- to Kitiara's annoyance- cockily.

"Kitiara," he said, and the brunette instantly knew something was different. He hadn't called her that since the day he'd met her.

"Damien," Kitiara said quietly.

"I've been thinking." The Demon looked at his fingers for a few moments, examining them. "Some strange things happened last week, and there was that one… Thing you told me, once."

"Damien, I don't-"

"Shhhhh," Damien said, smiling at her, and the hairs on the back of Kitiara's neck rose. She placed her book to her side and slowly stood to face the Demon head on. If it came to a fight, she had no doubt that she'd lose, but she also didn't think he'd come for that reason.

"What do you want?" Kitiara asked calmly.

"Answers," Damien drawled, and suddenly he was directly in front of Kitiara. He shoved her lightly, but it was enough that she tipped over, falling over the side of the bench. A horrifying crack split the air, and Kitiara shouted. Or she tried to, but to her dismay, Damien had cast Silence on her. Sobbing silently, Kitiara tried not to look at the blood pooling on her robes; her bones had completely fractured and split her skin, and her legs were pointing off in horrible directions.

Damien was clapping to himself, satisfaction evident on his face.

"This IS exciting," he drawled. "But… Too early."

Walking around the bench, Damien quickly passed a hand over Kitiara's body, and for a moment Green magic filled her. In moments, her legs had entirely mended, though she was still under silent and her robes still covered in blood. Damien collapsed, panting heavily, his eyes closed tightly. Clearly the heal had cost him more than he had thought it would.

"Odd," he grunted. Lifting his head, eyes glittering cruelly, he cast Diagnosis on Kitiara, who was able to tell what he was casting by the type of Green Magic that flowed through her. To the girl's immense satisfaction, it seemed that what he got out of it was very different to what Kitiara and William had gotten. His face contorted and the spell immediately collapsed, leaving him even more breathless than before.

"Interesting," he gasped, and after a few minutes- during which Kitiara scrambled away from the blue skinned boy- Damien stood slowly, closing and opening his numb fingers. "Quite the disease you have there, Kittie Kat."

Had Kitiara been able to speak she would have told him just how much she cared about his opinion. As it were, her insults fell on deaf ears.

"I'm going to have to ask you to keep today's… Adventure… A secret," Damien said lightly. He shrugged his shoulders, rolling them lightly, and turned to look at Kitiara. It seemed- unfortunately- that his magic had returned, and Kitiara felt her fear rising. Damien crouched down in front of her and cast two spells simultaneously, and suddenly Kitiara was able to speak.

"You filthy-" Kitiara started to snarl, but Damien waved a hand.

"Pay attention," he said calmly. "I've cast The Seal on you. It's not like the Seal spell you'll learn this year," he chastised, as though he were a teacher. "This spell will make sure that you can't tell anyone about today's most invigorating lesson."

"I hate you," Kitiara seethed. "I knew you were horrible."

"Come now, is that fair?" Damien teased, though his smug expression said enough. "I had originally thought that my plans had been foiled by you, little girl, but it's clear that they've just been modified. Oh, the things I can do to you."

Horrified shivers ran up Kitiara's spine.

"Ah well," Damien sighed wistfully. He patted Kitiara's head, and she swatted his hand away. "Take care, Kitiara. I wouldn't want anyone to find out about such a weakness as that, now would I?" He snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, Kitiara's head snapped up. She was seated on her bench, her head having lolled to the side, her book open and ignored on her lap. She looked around fearfully, but it was only mid-afternoon. She must have been asleep for oh, two or three hours.

Kitiara shivered, bringing her knees up and letting her book slide off of her lap and onto her bench. She stared at the trees before her.

It had been a dream. She lifted her robe, and there was no trace of blood. It had been a dream, but it had seemed so real.

Putting her face in her hands, Kitiara let out a shaky breath. Was their dream magic? Could people influence you in your dreams?

Did Damien know about Kitiara's weakness?

Already the dream was starting to fade, Kitiara's pulse slowing.

It had been a dream. It had to have been a dream.

Relief flooded through Kitiara, and then a little bit of shame. Was she so scared of the demon boy that she was making up nightmare visions of him?

* * *

**So what do you guys think? Was it a dream? Or... Did it really happen? LEMME KNOW! XD**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I AM A DUMMY.  
**

Thank you to that one reviewer who went "Erm... Chapter 14 and 13 are the same."

I know. I'm dumb. TT^TT I'm sorry. THIS IS CORRECT NOW!

So I have unfortunately noticed that many of my chapters have REALLY WEIRD SPACING because I forget that Microsoft Word does not send over double spaced paragraphs indicating a break in the flow of time. You need a line to do that, and since that is not what I'm used to doing, I'd forgotten, and many of my chapters wind up with weird time flows as a result, where it magically jumps forward a week and you're like "Wait, what?" I apologize for this, and I haven't had the time to go through and fix that. Please don't hate me for that horribly amateurish writing. I love you all.

Remember, you're all getting these chapters relatively unedited. Relatively. Mostly. Entirely. Whatever.

THANK YOU!

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Chapter 14

After sitting for a while just enjoying the outside air, Kitiara was only a little surprised to see a head of blue-hair making its way toward her little grove. William waved a tiny wave as soon as he got within seeing distance, and Kitiara waved back, a smile on her face. He must have gotten her card.

"Good afternoon, Kitiara," William said gravely as he entered the little wooded area.

"William," Kitiara scolded, and he shook his head. "Did you get my letter?"

William winced.

"Well… Yes, but-"

"Will," Kitiara said, turning to face him. "Stop. It happened."

"You could have been-"

"But I wasn't."

"But-"

"But nothing!" Kitiara said exasperatedly. "Do you know how many times in my life I've 'almost been'? Alex learned early on that if she was going to be my friend she was going to have to stop worrying about could be's and almost's. Will," Kitiara said softly, as the blue-haired boy continued to look down. "It doesn't mean that you won't be there for Virginia."

The senior looked up in utter shock, his eyes wide in disbelief and then guilt.

"How did you know that's what…?" He said quietly. He finally took a seat beside her.

"Because she's your sister," Kitiara said gently. "You're looking out for me like you'd like to look out for Virginia. I can understand that. I know how important that feeling of being able to help can feel."

"You haven't felt it too often, have you?"

"Except here." Kitiara leaned back, stretching her arms out. "Even if I can't tell the mortals about magic, I know that I can help them. Someway, somehow, even if it's just a tiny bit of help. I know it's there, the possibility. I want to help people, the way people used to help me. Still help me," she added bitterly. "I want there to be a day when I'm helping people, making their world shine brighter, and no one is helping me."

"I don't think there's such a day for anyone, Kittie," William said with a smile. Kitiara shrugged and grinned at him.

"What is there between you and Damien?" Kitiara asked suddenly, peering curiously over at her friend. William winced.

"Let's just say," he said slowly, "that he's a user. After he gets… What he wants, he drops you. Leaves you to rot. And let's just say that… Theoretically, I punched him in the face."

"That doesn't sound very theoretical!" Kitiara burst out laughing, and William grinned crookedly.

"No, I guess not."

"I guess that would explain why you two get along so famously!"

"Well, it doesn't explain you and Professor Grabiner," William suddenly teased, and Kitiara's roaring laughter turned into a sort of wheezing cough. William- now the laughing one- smacked her on her back.

"I- you've been talking to Virginia," Kitiara said heatedly. "I do NOT like- That would be silly and inappropriate!"

"We're just teasing, Kittie Kat," William said, though there was a mischievous look on his face that said that he wasn't entirely joking. Kitiara slapped him on the shoulder, and he started laughing again.

"You're both outrageous," Kitiara groaned. "Professor Grabiner, too. He actually thought I'd written you a love letter this morning."

"PFFFT!" William burst into snorting, undignified laughter, and Kitiara sniffed, watching him with a sour expression. "You? Write a love letter?" he snorted and broke into undignified howls of laughter again.

"That first one wasn't real!" Kitiara snapped. "It wasn't supposed to be serious!"

"Right. Whatever you- pfft- whatever you say, Kittie."

"I can seriously write a love letter if I wanted to," Kitiara said imperiously.

"What about never having had a crush?"

"I- Who needs training in love letters?" Kitiara said hotly. "It's just- it's simple! You just write your feelings out on a paper and- oh would you just stop laughing?" Kitiara smacked William on the arm with her copy of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea crossly.

"I'm- I'm sorry," William gasped, leaning back like a fish starved for air. He took a deep, sputtering breath, regained control, and grinned at Kitiara. "For a disabled little girl, you can sure hit hard."

"I had help." Kitiara waved the book in front of him smugly. "Jules Verne to the rescue."

"What's that?"

"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," Kitiara said, leafing through the pages fondly. "Professor Grabiner recommended it to- Oh not again!" William had burst into a fit of laughter again at the mention of her professor, and she leaned back, her arms crossed and her face sour once again as she waited for William to stop laughing.

"I'm sorry, Kitiara," he gasped, holding his sides as tears of mirth slid down his cheeks. "You're just so darn funny!"

"Ha ha," she said sarcastically. "Laugh it up, Danson," she said, making a face.

"All right," William said after another few minutes of snorting and laughing. "All right. Whew! I haven't laughed like that since Virginia tried to bake a cake for Donald's birthday last year."

He suddenly froze up, his face calculating.

"His birthday is in two weeks," the boy said.

"Why don't we go to the mall and shop for him?" Kitiara said, her eyes brightening up. "The three of us- you, me, and Virginia?"

"That would be nice," William said, smiling at the smaller brunette. "We can do it after our second exam."

"Our- what?" Kitiara asked, eyes wide. "When is that?"

"This Friday."

"Crap! Does Ellen know? She usually knows. Oh, crap!" Kitiara leaned back, brooding. "I need to study."

"I could help."

"Oh, would you?" Kitiara looked up at him, eyes wide. "I'm not sure I know enough spells to pass the next exam. I'm sure I'm going to actually need spells and not just raw power."

"Yes you will," William said, smiling. "Here, stand up with me. Show me the spells you already know."

Kitiara stood, freeing her hands by leaving the book on the bench and set her feet apart. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, and calmed her nerves.

"What are you doing?"

"Calming myself," Kitiara said. "Grabiner says that absolute concentration is a must for honed magical ability."

William wisely kept from laughing.

"Okay," she said after a moment. Her eyes opened slowly, and she definitely appeared more focused than before. "I'll just show you what I know."

Splaying her hands out before her, Kitiara went successively through the spells she knew. A warm breeze swirled William's blue hair around his face and then pulled lightly at him. Kitiara lifted a leaf and lit it with a spark, letting it burn away. She used the push spell, lightly pushing first William over, to his amusement, and then pushing a nearby boulder out of its place in the Earth, around the grove, and then back in. She slashed at the boulder, leaving a solid mark.

Leaving the Red school of magic, Kitiara let a ball of light appear in her hands, floating in front of her face. She let it go up, around, lighting the area (uselessly as it was still daylight), until she let it explode into a shower of fireworks. Each little spark lit up another object, until that, too, faded. Kitiara explained(through farsight) that Virginia was currently taking part in an eating contest against Angela at the cafeteria in the mall, and while Angela looked ready to puke Virginia was going strong on what appeared to be her 18th slice of pizza, judging by the tallies and the semi-disgusted, partly fascinated expressions of the people around them. She used silence, and when William went to ask her what she'd done he found that he'd become noiseless, smiling in bemusement at her until she finally released him. Kitiara went through Truesight and Darkness, Diagnosis, Track scent, Heal (which she used to give added energy to them both), Inspection, Inscription, Detect Charm, and Trigger, the last of which she used on the boulder after William charmed them. She was filled with a glow of healing magic as the "trap" was triggered, and grinned at William. And, finally, she went through her White school of magic, showing him Spirit Sight and pointing out the stalker spirit that often followed her (silently), tap the flow where the spirit offered forth his energy (and therefore rejuvenated her slightly tired store of magical energy), empathy in which she could tell how William was feeling, Communication (which allowed them to share feelings and emotions). She mostly just explained Spirit Echoes, which she'd had yet to be able to use in a real situation.

"You sure do know a hell of a lot of spells, Kittie," William marveled, watching her closely. "And you used all of them- aren't you tired?"

"No," Kitiara said, shrugging. "After I learn a spell, I spend the rest of the day 'integrating it' into my spell list. What I mean is that I go and cast every spell I know at least once, and then the new spell, until I'm no longer tired by the new addition."

"That sounds…" William shook his head, scratching it in bewilderment. "Like it shouldn't work."

Kitiara shrugged.

"Well," he said slowly, "based off of that I'm… Pretty sure you're ready, Kitten. I could teach you a spell or two that combines more than one school of magic."

"Oh, I'd like that," Kitiara said enthusiastically. "Professor Grabiner said we'd all start work on those spells this week. I can get a head start."

"I'm pretty sure you already have one," William muttered, but he waved his hand at Kitiara's questioning glance. He filed away this interesting development in her magic away for later and continued speaking. "This first one is an important one for you. It isn't a combining spell," he added, "but it is very useful. It's Boost Strength."

"I've been dying to learn that one." Kitiara's brown eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"All right. Here-"

They spent the next hour as the day slowly turned into evening practicing the flow of Green Magic, until suddenly Kitiara was able to cast Boost Strength on William and herself successively. Whooping in excitement and letting go for just a moment, Kitiara jumped and hopped around the grove, finally stopping in front of William triumphantly.

"Very good," William said with approval. "You learn fast. The next spell is Farspeak, a good spell for if you're ever in trouble."

"Farspeak," Kitiara said, nodding. "Got it. How does that work?"

"I'm going to go over to the other side of the field," William explained. "I want you to focus very hard on me, and if it works you'll initiate Farspeak and open up a channel between us. Here I go-" William started jogging off, and it was a few moments until he finally disappeared from view.

Kitiara immediately started the calming exercises. Clearing her mind of all useless, unimportant thoughts, she focused solely on William, and she felt both pools of White and Black magic surge forward and through her veins. With her power swimming at her fingertips, Kitiara pooled the energy into her thoughts of William, and suddenly there was a faint, tickling presence in her mind that registered surprise.

_Kitiara!_ William gasped. _Jeeze, you scared me._

_Weren't you expecting me?_ Kitiara said, grinning madly.

_To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to get it that fast. Holy crap. All right, go ahead and let the link go. I'll come back to you._ Kitiara felt the connection fade and waited patiently until William had returned to the grove, panting slightly.

"Good God Kix," he said, shaking his head. "Don't you ever do anything in halves?"

"What do you mean?" Kitiara asked curiously.

"Nothing," he said, grinning at her. "It doesn't matter. Here, let's go grab a bite to eat. It's getting late, and Virginia will eat everything in the cafeteria if we don't hurry."

"You think she's still hungry after that eating contest?"

"Are you kidding me? She probably ate Angela's remaining pizza slices and then asked for more."

"Oh God, don't make me throw up."

"Hopefully Angela did."

"William!" Kitiara snorted with laughter. "I never knew you were so vengeful!"

"Only to people who deserve it."

They fell into a companionable silence as they returned to the cafeteria, finally waving good bye and joining their separate groups of friends. Kitiara explained that William had been teaching her magic, and agreed to help both Virginia and Ellen as the exam slid closer. Ellen seemed both dismayed and delighted to know that William's and Kitiara's friendship seemed to border on mentor and student, brother and sister. It was almost as if she had no idea what was bringing them so close together… And hopefully, Kitiara found herself thinking, she would never need to know.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** At the time of writing this I got super confused as to what to label this chapter; I unfortunately mislabeled my chapter 13 to chapter 14, which means that chapter 14 had to be renamed to chapter A14, and so now I'm super confused haha. I almost buggered up again and named this one 16.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. There will be more Grabiner+Kittie action, I swear. It's just important for you to understand Kittie and how she- and her magic- works.

Just trust me on this. Heh.

* * *

Chapter 15

* * *

The next week nearly went by quickly and smoothly with little in the way of events. As it progressed, however, Kitiara was beginning to notice that both Professor Grabiner and Professor Potsdam were watching her as she learned yet more spells, but she couldn't figure out what their interest could be. It seemed that they were trying to hide their interest... But it also seemed that they were perplexed and even suspicious.

As Kitiara was walking to her room one evening, mentally going over preparations for the second exam (which was the very next day), she ran- almost literally - into Professor Potsdam. With a very serious expression on her face, the woman quickly cast a hand over Kitiara, who blinked at the sudden sensation of Green Magic.

"W-what-"

"How strange," Professor Potsdam muttered, and without another word she marched off, muttering under her breath. Kitiara watched her go, feeling very perplexed.

"That's an easy one to answer," Virginia drawled when Kitiara brought it up just a few minutes later, in their dorm room. "Professor Potsdam is trying to see if you're on any Magic Strengthening drugs."

"I- What?" Kitiara gasped, completely taken aback.

"Well, she has a good reason to," Ellen pointed out, and when it didn't seem like she was going to explain any further, Kitiara folded her arms and huffed.

"All right, would someone like to explain this 'reason' to me?" she asked, pouting.

Virginia and Ellen exchanged frowns before looking at Kitiara's face. Both of their expressions were guarded and somewhat disbelieving.

"You're not serious, right?" Virginia asked.

"I don't understand," Kitiara muttered. "Why are you looking at me that way?"

"Kittie," Ellen said slowly, sitting up, "you learn spells really fast. Like, ABNORMALLY fast. You're WAY ahead of most of the other students right now, if not all of them. Hell, you're ahead of some of the sophomores."

"You've started tutoring Minnie," Virginia said when Kitiara looked unconvinced. "NO ONE tutors Minnie.

Kitiara sat down on the edge of her bed slowly, blinking hard as she hugged her notebook to her chest. Was that really the case? She hadn't noticed if she'd been learning the spells at any particular rate...

William's surprise just over a week ago when he was teaching her spells popped into her memory. _"Don't you do anything in halves?" _and _"Well_, _I wasn't expecting you to get it that fast."_

Was she really ahead of the other students?

Troubled, Kitiara set her books aside.

"I- it's not a bad thing," Virginia said, sitting up off of her bed. She exchanged a baffled expression with Ellen. Neither of them could understand why being what was essentially an academic genius was causing such an affect on Kitiara.

"Am I different here, too?" Kitiara murmured softly, more to herself than her roommates. "Is it... Am I just..." Her voice trailed off, and neither of her friends could understand her anymore.

"Kittie?" Ellen pressed, and after a moment the brunette raised her head. Her brown eyes were troubled, and she was fiddling with the hem of her robes.

"I need to think," she murmured, and without another word she glided gracefully from the room. Virginia and Ellen looked at each other again, neither of them capable of fathoming Kitiara's strange reaction to learning that she was a magical prodigy.

For Kitiara, however, it wasn't so difficult to be worried. All she could think was that there was something _else_ wrong with her in a world where she couldn't afford to have anything else bringing attention to her.

_Why can't I just find something to be normal at?_ she found herself thinking desperately.

Kitiara realized abruptly that she had somehow arrived at her little grove. The sun was sinking; curfew would be very soon, though Kitiara found that she didn't particularly care. She needed to think, away from other students- away from anyone who was or might be judging her.

She sat down on the bench, shivering slightly but not feeling like casting anything to warm herself. Even magic was working against her, she felt.

All Kitiara had wanted was to find a way to be normal. Magic had been her means to normalcy, her means to health and the ability to finally join the people around her as one of them. She wanted to run, to jump, to be as carefree as they were, but it seemed that she was a freak in all aspects of her life. Kitiara didn't want to be noticed; she didn't want to be powerful, she didn't want to be a "magical prodigy". She just wanted to cure herself and help the people around her.

"A little late for melancholy debating, isn't it Miss Kix?"

Kitiara looked up slowly to see Professor Grabiner walking toward her, a book resting lightly in the crook of one arm. He didn't appear to be angry; merely cautious and curious, and perhaps even a trifle worried.

"You must think I'm on drugs too," she said miserably, and the Professor stopped short, blinking rapidly for a moment.

"I- Pardon?" Professor Grabiner asked, his voice suddenly filled with confusion. Kitiara had never heard so much emotion- even if it was just confusion- in his voice before this point.

"I'm a freak," she explained, looking ahead of her. She was suddenly too ashamed to look at her professor. "I learn spells faster than the other students. I- I j-just wanted to be n-normal and I'm a f-freak here too. Now my professor's all th-think that I'm on d-d-drugs... I just want to be n-normal." To her mild horror, Kitiara realized she was crying. She was also shivering with cold.

A sudden burst of warmth spread through her, and Kitiara felt herself slowly stop shivering. She blinked in surprise before she realized that, of course, the Professor had cast Warm. He was moving to sit beside her, and to her mild surprise he seemed awkward and unsure of what to do.

"I... I don't understand where this is coming from," he said quietly.

"Professor Potsdam just cast a spell over me," Kitiara explained quietly. "I couldn't figure out what she was doing, but I nearly bumped into her and she cast Diagnosis- at least, some form of Diagnosis. My roommates..." she sniffed, tears starting to fall again. She didn't particularly care anymore; who knew what everyone thought of her at this point. "My roommates said it was b-because I learn spells too quickly. They s-s-said I'm ahead of some of the sophomores..."

Silence fell, interrupted only by Kitiara's sniffles and ungainly hiccups.

"I admit that you learn more quickly than other students," Professor Grabiner said after a moment, "but I do not think that you are on any illicit substances. I never have."

Kitiara glanced up at him, but she didn't appear to be too mollified by his admittance.

"The other students still think I'm a freak," she said miserably. "Professor Potsdam still thinks-"

"Why does what they think matter?" Professor Grabiner asked quietly.

"Because no matter where I've g-gone, where I've b-been," Kitiara sniffed, suddenly hating herself, "I've never been normal. N-never. Even before my m-magic, I couldn't fit in, and now... This was all I had. This was my way into that world..."

"What world is that?"

"The one where I can join everyone else," Kitiara whispered, forgetting that Professor Grabiner knew nothing of her condition. "The one where I'm not constantly in danger."

"Danger?" Professor Grabiner blinked in surprise and bewilderment, looking around and quickly casting a series of spells. There was no danger that he could see, and yet this girl beside him seemed deadly serious. "Miss Kix, I see no danger here."

Realizing what she'd said, Kitiara remained silent. She didn't want him to look at her any differently now too. Professor Grabiner watched curiously as a series of emotions flitted one after another across his brightest pupil's face- realization, guilt, fear, misery, and uncertainty- and she quickly turned her face away. She gave nothing in the way of explanation, and Professor Grabiner found that he was fighting to convince himself that using magic to read the girl's mind would be bad. Very bad. And that he shouldn't do it.

Heaving a slightly frustrated sigh- he very much disliked not knowing things- Professor Grabiner thought about how he could help this student out without knowing... whatever it was that was bothering her. First off, he needed to decide whether this "danger" was something that he _should_ in fact know about.

"I understand that you have your privacy, Miss Kix," he said quietly, "but I need to know: is this something I should know? Is this something that will affect the other students?"

"No," Kitiara said quietly. "It just a danger to myself. No one else."

"Well, in that case, I will let you keep your secret. I can see that it is something that bothers you though, and if it's truly dangerous I would suggest at least telling-"

"Professor Potsdam already knows," Kitiara said quietly, leaning back. She still refused to look her Professor in the eye, and he was suddenly aware of how world-weary that Kitiara looked in front of him. This troubled him a great deal; he was aware of the kind of sacrifices and the kind of mental stress that it took to place a person of her age and youth in that kind of mental state, and it wasn't something that he would wish on his greatest enemy.

"Then the only advice I can offer you really isn't advice," he said carefully. Kitiara looked at him in confusion, and the older man nodded slowly. "I won't lie to you, Kitiara. Your magic marks you apart from the other students, but it isn't a bad thing."

"But"

"It is not something you should be worried about," he repeated. "Kitiara, you are one of the brightest pupils I have ever had. You learn magic far faster than many witch's or wizards I've ever met and that is a very wonderful gift. It isn't a curse."

"It feels like one," Kitiara grumbled miserably. "I don't want to be set apart."

"From what you said earlier," Professor Grabiner said, trying a different tact, "it seems as if there is something very particular that you want from Magic."

"Yes. It is the one reason that I am learning magic," she responded immediately.

"Then this is a gift," he reassured her. "How can you learn that quickly and use it if you are not a prodigy?"

Kitiara thought about this, a look of intensity on her face. She bit one of her fingernails and furrowed her brows together, and Professor Grabiner realized with a start that he was watching her expressions with an unnatural attentiveness. He blinked and, frowning, turned his head forward again, giving her a moment to collect her thoughts.

"I..." she said after a moment. "What if-"

"The students look up to you," Professor Grabiner said gruffly. "They look to you for guidance. I have seen no discontent from them towards your natural ability; only respect and admiration."

"And... You aren't angry?"

Professor Grabiner turned without thinking and saw her looking up at him with sad, wide brown eyes. There was so much raw feeling, pain, and emotion in those eyes that the professor found himself deeply troubled. No 16 year old should know that feeling; he was a testament to that.

"I am not angry," he said quietly. "On the contrary; I look forward to teaching you what I know. Perhaps one day you will be able to teach me."

Kitiara snorted, crossing her arms.

"I somehow doubt that," she said. "You know everything."

Professor Grabiner let out a bark of laughter that was very uncharacteristic of him, earning a very surprised look from Kitiara.

"Now THAT is doubtful, Kitiara," he said humorously. "Even I am still learning, no matter how much I like to pretend otherwise."

Kitiara could hear the bitterness in his voice, and she knew there was another story behind that statement. She also wisely said nothing about it.

"If you say so," she said, shrugging. The more she thought about what he had said, though, the better she was beginning to feel. She looked up, feeling fresh determination run through her, and smiled in gratitude at Professor Grabiner.

"Thank you, Professor," she said, beaming at him. "I owe you. I don't know what state this would have left me in, and that... Would have been detrimental to much more that you know."

He blinked at her a few times before coughing and standing, his face suddenly impassive.

"Yes, well... It is my duty to help my students grow, as it is my duty to ensure that they meet curfew."

"Ah!" Suddenly realizing what time it was, Kitiara jumped up and hurriedly moved to head back toward her dorm, feeling slightly foolish. She turned back and waved, not quite running but not quite walking.

Professor Grabiner- Hieronymous Grabiner- watched her go with trepidation. He stood for a great deal of time, thinking long and hard about this particular student; it appeared that things were not as they seemed, and he wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Sensing that something was happening- coming- he absentmindedly decided on testing the boundaries of his magic.

As he returned to his own room, he mentally filed away his newly learned information on Miss Kitiara Kix.

In another area of the school, Kitiara was busily getting ready for bed- having fended off curious and worried questions (and then the immediately following Grabiner teasing)- Kitiara paused as she realized something strange.

Professor Grabiner had stopped referring to her as "Miss Kix" and had begun to call her "Kitiara". For some odd reason, this made her pleased, though she didn't question it too hard. It must just be because she was happy to be considered either an acquaintance (versus just a student) or even something akin to an aspiring equal. _That would be nice..._ she thought groggily before passing off into a hopeful sleep.


End file.
